Roger's professional journey began as a graduate and founding member of Robert Brustein's esteemed Yale Repertory Company, where he honed his skills as a director and actor. He subsequently joined forces with the renowned Joe Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, lending his talents to productions in London's Royal Court Theatre, Dublin's Abbey Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, and other prestigious venues. His impressive résumé also boasts stints at Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, La Mama, Roundabout, Juilliard Opera, Los Angeles Theatre Center, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, O'Neill Playwrights Conference, Folger Shakespeare Group, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, PBS, Metromedia, and BBC-TV, as well as National Public Radio.
Roger's extensive directorial credits include international premieres of plays by notable playwrights such as Tennessee Williams, Sam Shepard, David Hare, Michael Weller, John Guare, Terrence McNally, Lanford Wilson, Israel Horowitz, Jean-Claude van Itallie, Megan Terry, and William Saroyan. His impressive list of collaborators includes John Lithgow, John Travolta, James Earl Jones, James Woods, Tovah Feldshuh, Samuel L. Jackson, Dick Shawn, and Judith Ivey, among many others.
Throughout his illustrious career, Roger has had the privilege of sharing his expertise with students and professionals alike, teaching all aspects of communications in various countries, including India, Pakistan, Iran, Nigeria, South Africa, and throughout Europe, as part of the U.S.I.A. and U.S. State Department's cultural exchange programs. In the United States, he has taught at esteemed institutions such as UCLA, Columbia University, Yale University, N.Y.U., Juilliard, and Brooklyn College.
As a testament to his dedication to the arts, Roger has been recognized with an NEA grant as producing director of National Public Radio's Simon Studio Presents, which has also been featured on XM Sirius cable radio and Time Warner Public Access TV. As an actor, he has recently appeared in Oliver Stone's Wall Street 2 opposite Michael Douglas and has also starred in the critically acclaimed indie feature The Sublet, as well as the film short Jimmy's Cafe, which premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Additionally, Roger currently co-produces, directs, and acts in the Simon Studio and Sarah Levine Simon's musical web series Bread Today.
