Sidney Berger

After four decades of helping aspiring stage stars rise from the University of Houston’s School of Theatre & Dance and ascend to professional heights, Sidney Berger will retire at the end of the spring semester.

Berger, the John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Theatre and the school's former director, took the reins as the School of Theatre & Dance's director in 1969, when it was just a small drama department. As director, he grew the small department into a nationally recognized theater program with celebrity faculty and soon-to-be celebrity students.

"I have had a wonderful career here at the university," Berger said. "I could not think of another place I would have wanted to spend 40 years of my professional life. I have worked alongside so many wonderful people, but now, I feel that a new generation of artists needs to prepare tomorrow’s great actors, writers and directors."

During his tenure, Berger recruited a number of noted faculty, including Royal Shakespeare Company founder Sir Peter Hall, Tony Winner Jose Quintero, and Pulitzer Prize winner Lanford Wilson. Broadway legend and Tony winner Stuart Ostrow was another Berger hire, who remains on faculty.

"He ran a fine, humanistic ship, and his gentleness and humor will be missed," said Edward Albee, another former colleague and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. "There's much to be learned from Sid, whom I loved dearly, and I hope those who follow him have the wisdom to learn it."

Among the students who shined under Berger's tutelage were Dennis and Randy Quaid, Loretta Devine (Waiting to Exhale), Robert Wuhl (Batman, Bull Durham), Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Jim Parsons (CBS's Big Bang Theory).

Berger also was key in founding the Houston Shakespeare Festival, and he will remain the producing director for this event. A summertime tradition, the event has entertained tens of thousands of Houstonians each year with outdoor productions on the Bard's finest works.

He also introduced children to the magic of theater through the annual Children's Theatre Festival (now Theatre for Young Audiences), which produced professional plays featuring the talents of Tony winners Jerry Bock (Fiddler on the Roof) and Charles Strouse (Annie).

Among Berger's accolades are the 1992 Esther Farfel Award, UH's highest faculty honor, and the 2007 Theatre Under the Stars Ruth Denney Award, which recognizes art educators. In 2007, he also was recognized by U.S. Congressman Gene Green in the Congressional Record for his tireless efforts with the Houston Shakespeare Festival.