Theatre Faculty
WAYNE SALOMON
Director of Theatre, classroom instructor, director, producer (1987-present)
Wayne Salomon has been chair of the Theatre Department at John Burroughs School for more than 20 years. He is a former artistic director of the Theatre Project Company, The Little Theatre On The Square in Sullivan, Illinois, and the Imaginary Theatre Company—the touring arm of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, as well as being artist in residence at the University of Nebraska and a guest artist at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and the University of Missouri/St. Louis. His extensive credits as a professional director include The Taming of the Shrew, All Over Town, Catch 22, Hamlet, The Birthday Party, The Homecoming, Orphans, Loving Leah, The Mousetrap, Bleacher Bums, Much Ado About Nothing, The House of Blue Leaves, Baby with the Bathwater, Murder by the Book, Noises Off, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Barefoot in the Park, A Flea in her Ear, The Fantastiks, Guys and Dolls, The Rainmaker, The Good Doctor, The 1940's Radio Hour, South Pacific, Man of La Mancha, Cottonpatch Gospel, The Real Thing, Hellcab and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, for which he received a Kevin Kline nomination as best director, and Closer. Mr. Salomon has also been a working actor in St. Louis since 1972 and a member of Actor's Equity Association since 1978. Over the past 30 years he has been seen professionally at the MUNY, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Theatre Project Company, The St. Louis Black Repertory Company, Off The Cuff, The New Theatre, Theatre Factory and the Arrowrock Lyceum Theatre. His favorite roles include Charlie Fox in Speed The Plow, Lenny Bruce in Lenny, Robert in Betrayal, Donny Dubrow in American Buffalo, Dave Moss in Glengarry Glen Ross, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Vladamir, Estragon, and Lucky in Waiting For Godot, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, and Lt. Shrank in West Side Story. Mr. Salomon was named the 2011 art educator of the year by the St. Louis Arts and Education Council. He has bachelor's degrees in English and in communication from The University of Missouri-St. Louis and received professional training from the late Sonia Moore at the American Conservatory for the Stanislavski Theatre Arts in New York City. 
JOHN PIERSON
Set designer and technical director (1994-1996)
Classroom instructor, director (1996-present)
John Pierson has worked as a professional performer and educator for more than two decades. As an actor he has been seen nationwide in a touring production of Mass Appeal. St. Louis work includes: Closer, A Beckoning Torch and Controlled Cool at Historyonics; The Baby Dance at Hothouse; I Am a Man and Raisin at The Black Rep; The Water Children at The New Theatre; Hearts and Sabina at New Jewish Theatre; Fool for Love at Muddy Waters; Hellcab and Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune at Spotlight Theatre; Art at Ozark Actors Theatre; Permanent Collection, The Scene and Neighborhood 3 - Requisition of Doom at HotCity; Back of the Throat, Love Song and Closer at St. Louis Actors’ Studio; and Blood Knot at Upstream. He has originated roles in two world premieres: Conversations on a Dirt Road at The Black Rep, and Loving Leah at New Jewish Theatre. He was acknowledged by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's year-end theatre awards in the Best Supporting Actor category for 1998 and in the Best Actor category for 1999. In 2008 he won the Kevin Kline award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his performance in The Late Henry Moss at St. Louis Actors Studio. He also works in independent films, commercials, industrials and as a voice-over performer. John is a member of Actors' Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Screen Actors Guild. As an educator, John is the former head of the drama program at the Indian Mountain School in Connecticut. He has taught in the English and Theatre departments at Burroughs since 1993. His JBS directing credits include Crimes of the Heart, The Little Prince, Twelve Angry Jurors, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shadow Box, Proof, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the 2009 world premiere of Intelligent Life. He also teaches seminars for adults on the fundamentals of Shakespearean acting. John earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Physical Education from The College of Wooster and received his professional acting training at Circle in the Square in New York.
BRIAN CONNOR
Set designer and technical director (1996-present)
Brian Connor started his theatre career in St. Louis in 1987 at Theatre Project Company. After three years at TPC, he joined the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis as assistant technical director. He spent his summers as ATD with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Mr. Connor joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 1993. He was technical director of the University Theatre and the Student Experimental Theatre. In 1996, Mr. Connor joined the faculty at John Burroughs School, teaching in both the Theatre and the Industrial Technology Departments. He supervises all technical aspects of JBS Players productions. In addition to his work at Burroughs, Mr. Connor occasionally designs and builds for local professional theatres, including the St. Louis Black Repertory Company, Off the Cuff Productions and the Black Cat Theatre. Mr. Connor has been a patent draftsman since 1989, providing patent and trademark illustrations for local attorneys. Mr. Connor earned a degree in speech communications and theatre at Central Missouri State University (now Central Missouri University) in 1987. He earned a master’s degree in industrial technology education, specializing in curriculum and instruction, at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2004.
