Participant Biographies and Project Descriptions

John David (JD) Keller
JD impressive career spans forty years as a working actor and director. His credits include performances in national touring shows and on Broadway. JD holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Theater Arts. He is a resident actor and director at the South Coast Repertory Theater, a Tony Award, and Pulitzer Prize winning theater located in Orange County. For thirty years, JD has been the director of the South Coast Repertory Theater’s Educational Touring Program and Director of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.

JD is introducing the experience of Readers’ Theater to senior citizens at the Vista Senior Center and San Marcos Senior Center in North County San Diego. JD hopes his group of actors will develop camaraderie, the benefits of working as an ensemble, and the satisfaction of producing a theatrical experience. Opportunities for meaningful engagement in arts programs over time, such as JD’s, counteract the social isolation older adults often experience. These programs also improve the overall health and well-being of older adults. One of his main goals will be for the theater group to perform classic children’s books like “Alice in Wonderland” for young audiences. JD says, “Reading aloud is a lost art and I believe this might be a way for the generation gap to close, if even for a moment”.