Ralph Zito

Department of Drama,
Dean’s Leadership Team

Professor, Acting
Department Chair

Ralph Zito

Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama Theater Complex
820 East Genesee Street
Syracuse, NY 13210-1508




Ralph Zito came to Syracuse University from the Juilliard School Drama Division, where he had been a teacher and director from 1992 to 2010 and chair of the voice and speech department since 1999.

Zito was a director and adjunct lecturer in the Barnard College theater department from 2006 until 2010 and has been a guest artist at training programs across the country, including the Old Globe in San Diego, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Academy for Classical Acting in Washington, D.C. Directing credits for the Department of Drama include The Spitfire GrillAs You Like ItGruesome Playground Injuries, and The Aliens.

Zito has served as a voice, text, or dialect consultant for numerous professional productions both on and off-Broadway, including The Light in the PiazzaAwake and Sing!The Herbal BedMrs. KleinThe Fiery FurnaceThe Time of the Cuckoo (Lincoln Center Theatre); Tongue of a BirdThe Merchant of Venice (New York Shakespeare Festival); The Pitchfork Disney (Blue Light Theatre Company); Birdy(The Women’s Project); The Model Apartment (Primary Stages); the New York premiere of Tony Kushner’s SLAVS! (New York Theatre Workshop); and The African Company Presents Richard III (The Acting Company). His regional theater credits include numerous productions at the Shakespeare Theatre and Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.; Syracuse Stage; Baltimore CENTERSTAGE; Hartford Stage; and the McCarter Theatre, among others.

A former touring member of the Acting Company, Zito served as artistic associate of the Chautauqua Theatre Company for seven years and was a member of the board of directors of the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) for six years. He is a graduate of Harvard University, the Juilliard School, and the American Center for the Alexander Technique.

Education

  • A.B., Harvard University
  • Diploma in Acting, The Juilliard School Drama Division
  • Teacher Certification Program, the American Center for the Alexander Technique

Expertise

Dialect, text, and voice