About ME
Hi there! I’m Dustin Rothbart, an actor, casting director, and producer originally from the Chicago area, now based in Savannah, Georgia. I relocated in September 2026 to pursue my MFA in Acting at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), continuing a lifelong love for storytelling that walks the line between joy and discomfort, hilarity and heartbreak.
Originally from Northbrook, I’ve been performing since I was eight years old, when I first joined the local children’s theatre. From speech team and show choir at Wheeling High School to theatre studies at Harper College and a B.S. in Theatre from Illinois State University, the stage has always been where I feel most at home.
For over a decade, I performed across Chicago with companies including Lifeline Theatre, The Beautiful City Project, Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, Red Theater, Underscore Theatre Company, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., and more. Regionally, I toured with Hampstead Stage Company and appeared at Canterbury Summer Theatre. A few favorite roles include Burrs in The Wild Party (a physically and emotionally demanding dream role), Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along (a sold-out run hailed by the Chicago Tribune), and multiple roles in The History Boys, a test of stamina and heart that I’ll never forget.
From 2017–2026, I served as Co-Artistic Director of Blank Theatre Company, where I oversaw casting and producing for all productions. During that tenure, Blank received a total of 34 Jeff Award nominations and won 5 Jeff Awards. More importantly, it became a home for bold, human-driven theatre that embraced ensemble storytelling and theatrical risk. I remain deeply inspired by the legacy of Chicago storefront theatre and the raw, honest work pioneered by companies like Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
My acting work is grounded in text, play, and presence, whether I’m supporting the ensemble or anchoring the emotional arc of a production. I gravitate toward complex, character-driven roles in contemporary musicals and plays that explore moral ambiguity and emotional depth. I love physical comedy, Stephen Sondheim’s leading men, and stories that ask difficult questions without offering easy answers.
I’ve trained with teachers and mentors including Kevin Long (Harper College), Kurt Naebig and Sasha Gioppo (Acting Studio Chicago), Jeffrey Carlson and Susan Hart (Shakespeare), Tommy Vendafreddo, Matthew Ellenwood and Alicia Berneche (Voice). I’ve also worked privately with acting coaches Nemuna Ceesay and Henry Godinez, whose guidance was instrumental during my MFA audition process. Following graduate school, I plan to relocate to New York City to continue pursuing acting alongside casting, teaching, and coaching work, with the long-term goal of working as an adjunct and mentoring the next generation of artists.
Offstage, I’m an unapologetic film nerd and horror movie junkie with a collection of 500+ physical films, a diehard root beer enthusiast (A&W all day), and a late-night video gamer who regularly rebuilds the Bears and Blackhawks into champions. I also love reading memoirs and nonfiction. My bookshelf is full of artists’ lives and odd little stories that remind me why people matter.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll join me in the audience, in the rehearsal room, or somewhere between the two.