Charles Otte
Encyclopedia
Charles Otte is an American
theatre director, producer
, designer
and educator. He is best known as a theatre and multi-media director working in New York and Los Angeles.
Otte was born in Cleveland Ohio. He received a B.A. from the University of Virginia
, and an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California
.
Otte’s theatrical career includes work at the Guthrie Theatre, Lincoln Center, the Alliance Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre
, La Mama ETC, Los Angeles Opera
, Houston Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music
, Carnegie Hall
, the Ohio Theatre
, and the Open Fist Theatre
. From 1984 to 1990 he was the Artistic Director for Project III Ensemble Theatre and later was Artistic Director for Mojave Group from 1991 to 1996. He is currently co-Artistic Director for Zoo District Theatre in Los Angeles.
Major theatrical productions include James Joyce’s The Dead by Richard Nelson, Travesties by Tom Stoppard, Bulgakov’s Flight, and Three Penny Opera, Goose and Tomtom by David Rabe, Brecht’s Baal Philip Glass
’s multi-media opera La Belle et La Bete. Additional work with Glass included staging the international tour of Einstein on the Beach (for Robert Wilson)
, staging Songs from Liquid Days, The Civil Wars (again for Wilson), and The Juniper Tree (for Andrei Serban).
Otte produced the CD-ROM game, Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail for 7th Level
in 1996 and was named one of the Top 100 producers of the year. Screenwriting and film directing credits include Blind Faith
, I Am Not a Ghost, Mission Invisible, Biography
for A&E, and Beer Nutz for HDTV.
As a multi-media creative director for BRC Imagination Arts, Otte was Co-Creative Director for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in Illinois where he created stage/film productions, historical interactive kiosks, and oversaw copy and design elements. The museum occupies two city blocks and includes such high level artifacts as the Gettysburg Address
and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address within the collection. Also produced by BRC, his production of The Star of Destiny is on permanent exhibit in the Texas State History Museum in Austin. His work can also be seen at Lotte World
in Seoul, Korea, and at Resorts World in Singapore.
Otte received the Themed Entertainment Award for Outstanding Achievement in in 2002 for the Star of Destiny, and again in 2006 for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He has received the LA Weekly Award for comedy direction for Travesties, and been nominated on numerous occasions.
Otte is currently on the faculty at the University of Texas creating a new curriculum in Integrated Media for Live Performance.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theatre director, producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
, designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
and educator. He is best known as a theatre and multi-media director working in New York and Los Angeles.
Otte was born in Cleveland Ohio. He received a B.A. from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Otte’s theatrical career includes work at the Guthrie Theatre, Lincoln Center, the Alliance Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre
Ensemble Studio Theatre
The Ensemble Studio Theatre is a membership-based, developmental theatre located in New York City. It has a dual mission of nurturing individual theatre artists and developing new American plays.-Overview:...
, La Mama ETC, Los Angeles Opera
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...
, Houston Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
, Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, the Ohio Theatre
Ohio Theatre
The Ohio Theatre is a performing arts center located at 39 E. State Street in Columbus, Ohio. Known as the "Official Theatre of the State of Ohio", the historic 1928 movie palace was saved from demolition in 1969 and completely restored...
, and the Open Fist Theatre
Open Fist Theatre
The Open Fist Theatre is both a 501 non-profit theatre company and 99-seat theatre facility in Theatre Row Hollywood located at 6209 Santa Monica Blvd...
. From 1984 to 1990 he was the Artistic Director for Project III Ensemble Theatre and later was Artistic Director for Mojave Group from 1991 to 1996. He is currently co-Artistic Director for Zoo District Theatre in Los Angeles.
Major theatrical productions include James Joyce’s The Dead by Richard Nelson, Travesties by Tom Stoppard, Bulgakov’s Flight, and Three Penny Opera, Goose and Tomtom by David Rabe, Brecht’s Baal Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
’s multi-media opera La Belle et La Bete. Additional work with Glass included staging the international tour of Einstein on the Beach (for Robert Wilson)
, staging Songs from Liquid Days, The Civil Wars (again for Wilson), and The Juniper Tree (for Andrei Serban).
Otte produced the CD-ROM game, Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail for 7th Level
7th Level
7th Level was a video games development company based in Dallas, Texas and founded in 1993. The company was most famous for developing the three Monty Python games , G-Nome — a MechWarrior-style game, for publishing Helicops — an anime-inspired arcade-style aerial combat game, and for Tracer — a...
in 1996 and was named one of the Top 100 producers of the year. Screenwriting and film directing credits include Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
, I Am Not a Ghost, Mission Invisible, Biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
for A&E, and Beer Nutz for HDTV.
As a multi-media creative director for BRC Imagination Arts, Otte was Co-Creative Director for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in Illinois where he created stage/film productions, historical interactive kiosks, and oversaw copy and design elements. The museum occupies two city blocks and includes such high level artifacts as the Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address within the collection. Also produced by BRC, his production of The Star of Destiny is on permanent exhibit in the Texas State History Museum in Austin. His work can also be seen at Lotte World
Lotte World
Lotte World is a major recreation complex in Seoul, South Korea. It consists of the world's largest indoor theme park which is open all year around, an outdoor amusement park called "Magic Island", an artificial island inside a lake linked by monorail, shopping malls, a luxury hotel, a Korean folk...
in Seoul, Korea, and at Resorts World in Singapore.
Otte received the Themed Entertainment Award for Outstanding Achievement in in 2002 for the Star of Destiny, and again in 2006 for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He has received the LA Weekly Award for comedy direction for Travesties, and been nominated on numerous occasions.
Otte is currently on the faculty at the University of Texas creating a new curriculum in Integrated Media for Live Performance.