Cody Swanson
(He/Him/His)
Cody, a die hard Cleveland, Ohio fan and native, first got interested with stage combat during a production of Romeo & Juliet he was apart of in 2007, choreographed by John Davis. From there, at his performing arts high school in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, he was taught more technique by CT Dusten Welch. Performance credits in Cleveland include Assassins and Noises Off at Lakeland Civic Theatre, Julius Caesar, Romeo & Juliet, and Hamlet, with Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Railroaded and DreamWalkers with Shadow of the Run, and A Christmas Story at The Cleveland Play House, to name just a few.
In the fall of 2011, Cody started training under Charles Conwell, -CT and FD with the SAFD- at his stage combat program at The University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Performance credits in Philadelphia include Kiss Me, Kate, She Loves Me, Side Show, O' Beautiful, and The 39 Steps at The University of the Arts, and Don Giovanni at Opera Philadelphia.
Now, back in Cleveland with a BFA in Acting and a minor in Musical Theatre from UArts, Cody is back to work in Cleveland's vibrant theatre community, and is fortunate enough to have taught for 5 years at his performing arts high school, along side his past teachers, now colleagues. Cody has been the TA under CT Dusten Welch at the Cleveland Play House / Case Western Reserve MFA Acting program. He has also been TA'ing at Baldwin Wallace University in their theatre department.
Cody has choreographed violence for various schools and theaters across Northeast Ohio including Lake Erie College, Mayfield High School, Cassidy Theatre, Highland High School, The Access Theatre Project, The Academy for the Performing Arts, and The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. He currently teaches with The Fairmount Center for the Arts in Novelty Ohio, and with Near West Theatre in Cleveland. Cody is the Director of Operations for The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. He is also the resident sound designer and engineer, student crew advisor, dialect coach, and violence coordinator at Mayfield High School.
