About ME
Hi there! I’m Dustin Rothbart — a Chicago-based theatre artist, actor, casting director, and producer with a lifelong love for storytelling that walks the line between joy and discomfort, hilarity and heartbreak.
Originally from Northbrook, IL, 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’ve performed across Chicago with companies including Lifeline Theatre, The Beautiful City Project, Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, Red Theatre, Underscore Theatre Company, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., and more. Regionally, I’ve toured with Hampstead Stage Company and appeared at Canterbury Summer Theatre in Indiana. 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.
In 2017, I co-founded Blank Theatre Company, where I serve as co-artistic director and oversee casting and producing for all our productions. Since then, Blank has received 5 Jeff Awards and 28 nominations — but more importantly, it’s become a home for bold, human-driven theatre that embraces ensemble storytelling and theatrical risk. I’m particularly inspired by the legacy of Chicago storefront theatre and the raw, honest work pioneered by companies like Steppenwolf.
My acting work is grounded in text, play, and presence — whether I’m supporting the ensemble or anchoring the arc of a show. I gravitate toward complex, character-driven roles in contemporary musicals and plays that explore moral ambiguity and emotional depth. I love physical comedy, Sondheim's leading men, and stories that ask tough questions without giving 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 and Matthew Ellenwood (voice), and I currently study voice with Alicia Berneche and receive acting coaching from Nemuna Ceesay. I’m pursuing my MFA in Acting, with plans to return to URTAs in 2026 and a goal of eventually coaching and mentoring the next generation of actors — combining my experiences on stage and behind the casting table.
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.