Matt Schwader Biography

Matt Schwader moved to Kansas City, MO in January of 2016, having previously lived and worked as a professional actor, voice over talent, director, teacher and acting coach in Chicago, IL sincce 1998. He currently is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and the Director of Performance Studies at Avila University in Kansas City, MO and a company member with Kansas City Actors Theatre.

Matt has performed professionally on stages across the country since 1998. He was a Core Acting Company member with American Players Theatre from 2007-2013, where he played many of his favorite roles and learned from some of the very best in the business. He recently returned to his home in Kansas City after playing the role of Jack in The Old Globe Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Maria Aitken in San Diego, CA. Matt appeared as Will in Shakespeare in Love with the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in the summer of 2019 and Little John in New Theatre's production of Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood the following winter. Currently he can be heard as John Bickerson in The Bickersons and has a recurring role as Vincent Holiday in Kansas City 1924 both for Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre, airing Fridays at noon on KKFI 90.1 FM, Kansas City.

He holds an MFA from the University of Delaware and is a proud member of both the Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Stage Credits

Importance of Being Earnest

Shakespeare in Love

And Then There Were None

Sherwood: Adventures of Robin Hood Hamlet

Notes & Letters

First Folio: 400yrs

Christmas Carol

Great Gatsby

Christmas Carol

Romeo & Juliet

A Life in the Theatre

Christmas Carol

Shakespeare’s R & J

As You Like It

Midsummer

Othello

Measure for Measure

Merry Wives

Moliere Comedies

Henry IV parts 1 & 2

Midsummer Nights Dream

Hamlet

Crime & Punishment

Henry V

Henry IV

As You Like It

All’s Well

Misalliance

Major Barbara

Of Mice & Men

Winter's Tale

Midsummer Nights Dream

Widower’s Houses

Merchant of Venice

Misalliance

Comedy of Errors

Timon of Athens

Pygmalion

The Tempest

A Life

Season’s Greetings

Titus Andronicus

Polish Joke

Mrs. Warren’s Profession

All Night Strut

King Henry V

Romeo & Juliet

Twelfth Night

Hay Fever

Jack

Will

Lombard

Little John

Laertes

Bach/Mozart

Ro./Ben./Cas.

Fred

Gatsby

Young Eb

Romeo

John

Fred

Juliet

Orlando

Demetrius

Roderigo

Claudio

Fenton

Lelie, Notary

Clarence

Lysander

Hamlet

Raskolnikov

Henry V

Prince Hal

Orlando

Bertram

Joey Percival

Bill Walker

Curly

Polixenes

Lysander

Harry Trench

Bassanio

Joey Percival

Angelo

Painter

Freddy Hill

Ferdinand

Desmond

Neville

Sat./Bass.

Jasiu

Frank

Coda

Henry V

Romeo

Sebastian

Simon Bliss

The Old Globe

Heart of America Shakespeare

Kansas City Actors Theatre

New Theatre and Restaurant

Heart of America Shakespeare

Bach Aria Soloists

Heart of America Shakespeare

A Contemporary Theatre

Indiana Repertory Theatre

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare

The Goodman Theatre

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Chicago Shakespeare/Royal Shakespeare Co.

Chicago Shakespeare Chicago

American Players Theatre

Northlight Theatre

Court Theatre

Noble Fool Theatricals

Remy Bumppo Theatre

Marriott Theatre

Notre Dame Shakespeare

Actors Theatre of Louisville

Utah Shakespeare Festival

Maria Aitken

Sidonie Garrett

John Rensenhouse

Richard Carrothers

Sidonie Garrett

Elizabeth S Lane

Sidonie Garrett

John Langs

Peter Amster

Priscilla Lindsay

Charles Fee

Robert Falls

William Brown

Joe Calarco

Gary Griffin

Marti Maraden

Barbara Gaines

Brian Bedford

Barbara Gaines

Gary Griffin

John Langs

Kenneth Albers

James Bohnen

Tim Ocel

John Langs

David Frank

Kate Buckley

David Frank

William Brown

Kenneth Albers

James Bohnen

John Langs

William Brown

Kate Buckley

James Bohnen

David Frank

BJ Jones

Charles Newell

Patrick Carton

David Darlow

Marc Robin

William Brown

Aaron Posner

Paul Barnes

On Camera

Chicago PD, episode 113

Literature; Reader’s Chioce

Henry IV pt. 1 (scene)

Bartending Industrial

State Farm

Series

Industrial

Co-Star

Principal

NBC/Universal

McGraw-Hill Co.,Inc.

McDougal Littell, Broadview

MothlightPictures

StateFarm

Live Industrial

Phillip Morris USA

Blue Shield of CA

Industrial

Principal

Breakthrough Group

Radio/Voiceover/Audio

The Bickersons

Kansas CIty 1924

Watch Dogs

Careerbuilder

Wellpoint

Salseforce CRM

Embark

Prince & The Pauper

Romeo & Juliet

Our Town

Fischer Nuts (Radio)

Sears

Cedar Fair

Radio, 1 ep.

Radio, 10 eps.

Video Game

Commercial

Internet

Industrial

Radio

Commercial

Radio

John Bickerson

Vincent Holiday

VO (multiple)

AVO

VO

AVO

VO

Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre

Ubisoft

Another Country

Jellyvision

McDougal Littell, Broadview

Bam Studios

DIRECTING: Recent directing credits include TWENTY20s, WAR OF THE WORLDS, and THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (Avila University) Will Eno's MIDDLETOWN and William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (UW-Parkside) Pinter's THE LOVER (Independent Production), THE TYPOGRAPHER'S DREAM (5th Floor Productions), ROMEO & JULIET (The Crowded Tub Collective).

TEACHING/COACHING: One year as a full time guest lecturer for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Matt has taught numerous workshops for high schools across the state of Wisconsin for American Players Theatre. He has also developed and lead workshops focused on performing Shakespeare for professional actors. Matt continues to coach actors privately as well. Feel free to contact him HERE.

EDUCATION/TRAINING: Matt holds an MFA from the Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of DE (2003). He has studied Etiene Decroux's Modern Mime under Jewel Walker, Traditional African Dance with the Montes Namuli Dance Company in Quelimane, Mozambique, Suzuki Theatre and Movement under Steve Tague, Shakespearean Voice & Text under Susan Sweeney and Improvisation at The Second City Training Center in Chicago.

AFFILIATIONS: Matt is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.