About
North Georgia Shakespeare
Our Mission
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To Spark Community and Ignite Empathy
through inclusive experiences of Shakespeare’s works and other classic tales of the Human Spirit.
Our Vision
We work to serve North Georgia communities and schools by providing dynamic, immersive theatre experiences of classic works in new, engaging environments. We know the vital necessity of live theatre to our development as a society.
We seek to share the immense courage, boundless heart, and human struggles found in the plays of William Shakespeare and other classic playwrights. We believe that theatre artists can thrive in North Georgia.
Meet the Team
Two Households, both alike in dignity
Amelia Fischer
Aristic Director
Amelia Fischer brings over 15 years of experience as a director, producer, fight choreographer, actor, and theatre educator to this new company. For NG Shakes, Amelia leads casting and literary, manages education outreach, assistant produces ShakesBEER series, and works in concert with the Producing Director on program development and implementation.
Originally from Gainesville, GA, Amelia now lives in Roswell, GA and is deeply honored to be able to serve her home state in a region she loves. Amelia grew up in a family of theatre artists, learning the industry from every backstage job she could take on and logging countless hours watching rehearsals for shows from Shakespeare to Sondheim.
Central to her dedication to live theatre is Amelia’s belief in its value to our development as successful, empathetic, and fulfilled people. As an acting coach, Amelia has taught aspiring actors at middle schools, high schools, universities, as well as early professionals. National directing credits include shows with Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Rice University, Lamar University, and St. John’s School.
Atlanta audiences might remember Amelia from her acting work with Theatrical Outfit, Horizon Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare, Theatre Emory, or Essential Theatre. Amelia has also had the pleasure of performing in multiple productions with Houston Shakespeare Festival, Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, and Shakespeare Walla Walla. She is proud to have received her MFA from the University of Houston PATP, BA from Coastal Carolina University, and trained with the Gainesville Theatre Alliance. For CV and more info: www.AmeliaFischer.org
Amelia is excited to create new, celebratory, immersive experiences of Shakespeare and other classic literature for our North Georgia communities.
Dean Coutris
Producing Director
​Before Dean became a professional actor, he worked for a number of years as a certified public accountant. He decided to pursue acting while searching for something that would give him more fulfillment. At NG Shakes, Dean leads fiscal management, produces the ShakesBEER tipsy reading series, and works in concert with the Artistic Director on program development and implementation.
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Although Dean likes to consider Ohio "home," he is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the big reasons he decided to move to Atlanta is the prominent TV and Film market, in addition to the well-established live theatre scene. Dean has appeared in a number of tv shows and short-films, including Atlanta, Complicated: The Series, Professor Zardonicus, and Inspired.
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Dean graduated from the University of Houston's Professional Actor Training Program (PATP) in the Spring of 2019 with an MFA in theatre. Some favorite roles while at the PATP are Mendoza in George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman, and Orsino in Twelfth Night. In the Summer of 2019, he joined the casts of Houston Shakespeare Festival's Julius Caesar (Julius Caesar) and As You Like It (Jaques). Before moving to Houston, Dean performed professionally in the Northeast Ohio region where he appeared in over 30 productions working with wonderful venues such as Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Rubber City Theatre, Coach House Theater, Actors’ Summit Theater, Ensemble Theater, and Dobama Theatre. Dean has also performed with Tennessee Shakespeare Company in Memphis in Christmas at Pemberly as Mr. Darcy, and The Importance of Being Earnest as Jack/Ernest.
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Dean is a certified stage combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) in five weapons: unarmed, knife, broadsword, single sword, and rapier & dagger. He is also a certified teacher through the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium of the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique. In 2014, with a group of friends and colleagues, he co-founded a long-form improv group in Akron, Ohio called “Just Go With It.”