Dennis H. Beaulne (born April 30, 1958), better known by his stage name Dennis Courtney, is an American stage director, choreographer, actor and teacher of master classes in auditioning for the theatre. As a director, he is notable for winning the 2008 Israeli National Theatre Prize (Israel's TONY Award equivalent) for his work in the

Cameri Theatre The Cameri Theater ( he, התיאטרון הקאמרי, ''HaTeatron HaKameri''), established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. History The Cameri theater was found ...

production of

Fiddler On The Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

, in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. The production closed on January 27, 2016 after a near 8-year run. As an actor, he made his Broadway debut in the 1979 production of

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

with

Sandy Duncan Sandra Kay Duncan (born February 20, 1946) is an American actress, comedian, dancer and singer. She is known for her performances in the Broadway revival of ''Peter Pan'' and in the sitcom ''The Hogan Family''. Duncan has been nominated for thr ...

and George Rose. Subsequent Broadway/National Tour/Production credits include Shenandoah with

John Raitt John Emmet Raitt (; January 29, 1917 – February 20, 2005) was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theatre. Early years Raitt was born in Santa Ana, California, United States. He got his start in theatre ...

(1984),

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...

(1984),

Roza Roza may refer to: People Last name *Fernando Luiz Roza (b. 1985), Brazilian soccer player *Lita Roza (1926–2008), British singer First name *Roza Anagnosti (born 1943) Albanian actress *Roza Baglanova (1922–2011), Soviet/Kazakh opera ...

(1987) and

Starlight Express ''Starlight Express'' is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope of ...

(1989-1990). He directed and choreographed a production of

My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...

, for the Riverside Center Theatre in Virginia and

It Shoulda Been You ''It Shoulda Been You'' is a musical with music by Barbara Anselmi and book and lyrics by Brian Hargrove. The musical ran on Broadway from March 17, 2015 (previews) to August 9, 2015. The musical involves a wedding which brings together the fami ...

starring

Kim Zimmer Kimberly Jo Zimmer (born February 2, 1955) is an American actress, best known for her role as Reva Shayne on the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light''. For this portrayal, she has won four Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama ...

and 8 Track: The Sounds of the 70's for Gretna Theatre in July and August 2016. In early 2017, he directed and choreographed

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-s ...

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

. In March 2017 he directed the pre-Broadway workshop production of The Last Adam, a new musical by George Alex Livings and Jonathan Hickey. He has collaborated with playwright David Brian Colbert on a new play with music about the life of legendary performer,

Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her not ...

, entitled Still Waters: The Life of the Legendary Ethel Waters. The play is currently in development.

Personal life

Born Denis Beaulne in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

to French Canadian parents, Albert Beaulne and Claudette Perron. He took the stage name Dennis Courtney with his first union acting job in 1978. Courtney has 2 siblings - a sister, Rachelle Beaulne McKevlin and a brother, Raymond Beaulne. He also has a step-sister, Lori Hurren Harrell and a step-brother, William Hurren. Dennis' parents divorced in 1967 and both remarried. His mother married Harry Parr and his father married Anna Pasternacki. Harry Parr died in 1986, Anna Pasternacki Beaulne died on December 5, 2011. Albert Beaulne is currently living in Cornelius, NC. Dennis' mother, Claudette, died on June 6, 2010. Dennis has been in a long term relationship with entrepreneur, Grant Wheaton, since 2000. Dennis and Grant became engaged on Christmas Day 2016 and married on July 29, 2017. He graduated from Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio and studied theatre at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

. He currently resides in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and has homes in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

and

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has bee ...

Notes

External links

Official Website - http://www.denniscourtney.com Dennis Courtney (http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=92973) at the Internet Broadway Database Dennis Courtney (http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dennis-Courtney/#) at BroadwayWorld.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Courtney, Dennis American directors American choreographers Male actors from Detroit 1958 births Living people