Todd Espeland

TODD ESPELAND is the Director of Development and Community Engagement at the Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach DE. He is the founder of Commedia Zuppa Mask Company, former Artistic Director of The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre and former Executive/Artistic Director of the Fort Wayne Youtheatre. He is a graduate of the world renowned Dell' Arte International where he did extensive post-graduate work in Mask, Clown, Circus Techniques, Commedia Dell' Arte and Physical Theatre. He holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

With Commedia Zuppa Todd served as a mask and movement specialist and artist in residence Off-Broadway for the Rosebud Theatre Company, and at many regional theatres, universities and toured original works nationally and internationally including his award winning Theatre for Young Audiences mask show BOXHEAD. 

In Kalamazoo Michigan, as well as being the Artistic Director of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, Todd served as a Guest Artist/visiting Assistant Professor at Kalamazoo College where he taught classes in acting, mask performance and directed productions of Endgame, Servant to Two Masters, Peer Gynt and Romeo and Juliet. At the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre he oversaw the artistic vision and administrative realization of a 16 show season as well as directing productions of Seussical Jr., Richard III, Of Mice and Men, Mary Poppins, A Christmas Story the Musical, To Kill a Mockingbird and Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.

At the Fort Wayne Youtheatre he oversaw artistic programming that served over 30k youth and families, including a four show season, and its Academy of Performing Arts. Additionally, he authored adaptations of Treasure Island and Wind in the Willows and created free youth performance programming such as The Neurodiversity Project, and Stories from the Stacks Theatre for Young Readers.