🎭 Meet the Visionary Behind the Curtain: Director Robert Grogan

richeysuncoast
Jan 20
2 min read

🎭 Meet the Visionary Behind the Curtain: Director Robert Grogan

As we prepare to bring the hilarious, high-energy world of Something Rotten! to the Richey Suncoast Theatre stage, we wanted to take a moment to introduce the man at the helm: our director, Robert Grogan.

A Journey from Coast to Coast

Robert doesn’t just bring a love for theatre to this production; he brings a massive toolkit of professional expertise. With an M.F.A. in Directing from UC Irvine and a B.A. in Theatre from Mansfield University, Robert has spent years honing his craft under theatre legends like Robert Cohen and Keith Fowler.

His directing journey has taken him from the prestigious HB Studios and Manhattan Repertory Theatre in NYC to the Westside Arts Theatre and beyond. Whether it’s the intellectual depth of Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance or the comedic timing of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound, Robert has a knack for finding the "heart" inside every script.

A Face You Know and Love

If Robert looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen him on our stage! He has recently delighted audiences as:

The Narrator/Mysterious Man in Into the Woods
Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors
Mr. Fezziwig in A Christmas Carol

His versatility as a performer—playing everything from Squidward in The SpongeBob Musical to Riff Raff in Rocky Horror—gives him a unique perspective as a director. He knows exactly how to help his actors find their light and their laughs.

More Than Just a Director

Robert is also an accomplished playwright (a semi-finalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference!) and—believe it or not—a trained pastry chef.

Just as he knows how to balance flavors in a kitchen, he’s currently "whipping up" a production of Something Rotten! that is perfectly balanced with witty Shakespearean nods, huge dance numbers, and a whole lot of soul.

"I love stories that celebrate the chaos and joy of creating something new. 'Something Rotten!' is the ultimate tribute to that spirit, and I can't wait for you to see what this incredible cast has built." — Robert Grogan