About Me

Rory Behrens is a South Dakota native and veteran music and  theatre generalist with over 20 years of experience as an actor, singer, songwriter, director, designer, producer, and educator. He has served in artistic and production leadership for six different theatre and opera companies, including the Northern Fort Playhouse in South Dakota, the Shawnee Theatre in Bloomfield IN, and Tommy O's Playhouse in Hazlehurst, WI.  He is also a founding member of Opera on Tap - OKC, now OK City Opera and served as technical director for the innaugural season of Painted Sky Opera in Oklahoma City.  He spent two years and 52 residencies as a tour actor-director with Missoula Children's Theatre, inspiring him to create and lead the "Star-Crossed Players" at Tommy O's Playhouse from 2012-15. There, he contributed seven original children's plays and musicals to the summer repertory seasons.
From 2001 to 2023 he performed 57 roles in plays, musicals and operas on educational and professional stages, notably Buddy Holly in Buddy: The Musical at Northern Lights Playhouse, Henrik in A Little Night Music at Colorado Light Opera, and Emcee in Cabaret and the Firehouse Brewing Theatre in Rapid CIty, SD. His directing credits include Mamma Mia and the annual melodramas at Classen School of Advanced Studies; Turn of the Screw, Pirates of Penzance, A Little off the Top and The Mikado at Tommy O's Playhouse; as well as multiple micro operas with OOT-OKC. He has taught acting, playwriting, stagecraft, directing, improv, and choir inside and outside of the K-12 classrooms, outreach programming and privately. 

He currently resides in Kansas City, MO and serves as director of vocal music at Académie Lafayette International High School. He performs with Vanity Opera and the Kansas City Symphony Chorus. 

He currently holds memberships in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Theta Nu 01'), NafME, and ACDA.