Peter Schmitz is an actor, dialect coach, and teacher of Theater History who lives in the Philadelphia area.
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, he got his BA in History from Yale University, and his MFA in Acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program.
As a young actor in New York City, he did everything from children's theater to avant-garde and Off-Broadway shows, and was even briefly a member of the Broadway company of My Fair Lady (with Richard Chamberlain) in 1994.
Over the past 40 years, he also has performed with many American regional theaters, including the Yale Rep in New Haven, the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, and the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC.
And yes, he even had a small role in the movie Fargo, for which he leaned to speak Minnesotan.
Since moving to Philadelphia, Peter has appeared with the Arden Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre, the Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Lantern Theater, the Wilma Theater, Act II Playhouse, Philadelphia Artists Collective - and many shows at the Walnut Street Theatre.
As a theatrical dialect coach in the Philadelphia region, he has worked with many of these Philadelphia's theater companies, as well as many local college and university training programs. At present, Peter is an Adjunct Professor in the Theater Department of Temple University in Philadelphia, teaching courses in writing, dramatic literature . . . and the History of Theater.
His 2024 book Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia is now available! Published by Brookline Books in November 2024, you can find it all major online booksellers. But we urge you to order it from your local independent bookstore, or even ask your local library to buy a copy!
