Rate My Professor Henry MacCarthy

Henry MacCarthy served as Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Gustavus Adolphus College from 2007 to 2025. He earned a PhD from Ohio University in 2007 with a dissertation on Caribbean Musical Theater, an MS from Indiana University in 1997, and a BA from Escuela Nacional de Artes Escénicas in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1991. Before joining Gustavus, MacCarthy acted with Venezuela's National Theatre Company, including the role of King Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and directed operas such as Carmen and Sweeney Todd in regional theaters in Venezuela. His international background enriched his teaching and directing, bringing a global perspective to theatre performance and production.

At Gustavus, MacCarthy directed numerous mainstage productions, including columbinus (2007), The Lesson (2008), The Impresario from Smyrna (2009), Physical Theatre Project (2009), The Arabian Nights (2010), Argonautika, Behold the Coach, in a Blazer, Uninsured (2012), Love's Labours Lost: The Musical (2016), The Murder Mystery Hour: A Double Bill of Radio Thrillers (2020), Metamorphoses (2023), and Fewer Emergencies (2023). Externally, he directed Hansel & Gretel for Opera Omaha in 2011 and contributed as guest stage director for other operas. In recognition of his innovative pedagogy, particularly the pandemic-adapted radio theatre production The Murder Mystery Hour, which allowed nationwide streaming while maintaining social distancing, MacCarthy received the 2021-2022 Innovative Teaching Award from the John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning and the Provost’s Office. As Co-Chair, he spearheaded collaborations like the summer audition boot camp with the Guthrie Theater and led international study trips such as the May-term Arts & Performance in London course. MacCarthy also participated in global artistic initiatives, creating a mobile videoportrait for La Caja de Fósforos' Casa Imaginaria project in Caracas in 2021, selected among 37 Venezuelan artists abroad. His leadership and creative output have profoundly shaped the Theatre and Dance program, enhancing student opportunities in performance, direction, and innovative theatre practices.