Brown | Trinity Rep M.F.A. Programs in Acting and Directing

Shura Baryshnikov (Head of Physical Theater) is an interdisciplinary artist who works broadly as a dancer, actor, improvisor, choreographer, and somatic movement educator.  In 2018-2019, Shura served as the Movement Director for Anne Bogart's acclaimed production of The Handmaid's Tale at Boston Lyric Opera and Bridge Repertory Theater's award-winning premier of George Brant's Dark Room.  Additional choreography credits include Trinity Repertory Company, The Wilbury Theatre Group, Khambatta Dance Company, and Urbanity Dance, and collaborations with dance artists such as Heidi Henderson, Paul Singh, Lorraine Chapman, B.J. Sullivan, Betsy Miller, and Gabriel Forestieri.  A member of Actors' Equity Association, she has appeared with The Gamm, Odyssey Opera, Trinity Rep, Festival Ballet Providence, and Bridge Repertory Theater, among others.  Shura co-founded Doppelgänger Dance Collective, a dance project dedicated to the curation and commission of new contemporary works, and the Contact Improvisation research and performance ensemble Set Go.  She has instructed at Brown/Trinity Rep since 2011 as well as at MIT, Dean College, and Connecticut College, Salve Regina University, and Keene State College.  Working in Viewpoints Technique, Safety Release Technique, Action Theater, and Contact Improvisation, Shura seeks to co-create deeply-sensitized, collaborative spaces for practice and creation.