Gregory Viscomi has been on the staff of Dearborn High School since the fall of 1994, serving as a member of the Language Arts Faculty and as the Director of Theatre and Drama for Dearborn High School. Depending on the semester, he may teach Introduction to Theatre, Theatre Performance, Film Study, Language Arts (Levels 3 – 8), Speech, Computer Applications and Co-Coordinates the WBL ( Non-CTE ) Co-Op Work Study Program for Dearborn High School. He also serves as the Manager of the school’s Valentine Auditorium.
Mr. Viscomi marks his 26th year as the Director of the award winning Dearborn High School Theatre program. He is the longest serving Theatre Director in the school’s history and the second longest serving Theatre Director in the history of the Dearborn Public Schools. He has produced and/or directed over 80 stage productions for Dearborn High School and inducted over 450 students into the International Thespian Honor Society, through Dearborn High School’s Troupe #586. During his tenure, his students have been honored for their theatrical work by the International Thespian Festival, the national Educational Theatre Association, the American High School Theatre Festival, the Michigan Educational Theatre Association, the Dearborn Area Theatre Association and the Dearborn Press and Guide Newspapers.
For his efforts, Mr. Viscomi has personally been honored with:
The Dearborn Public Schools’ Superintendent’s Honors ( 9 times)- for Excellence in Teaching .
The City of Dearborn’s Mayor’s Arts Award (2 times) – for Arts Education in 2003 and for Outstanding Citizen in the Arts in 2011.
The Dearborn Press and Guide Entertainment (PAGE) Award (30 times) for his theatrical work as a Producer, Director, Actor, Choreographer, and Theatre Designer.
The Dearborn Area Theatre Association Award for Theatre Excllence ( 2 times) for his work as a Producer and Director.
The Dearborn Theatre Hall of Fame, Inducted in 2007. for career achievement in the Theatre in the Dearborn area community.
The American College Theatre Festival, nomination for the Irene Ryan Award in Acting Performance, 1987-88
A native of Dearborn, Michigan, he is a product of the Dearborn Public Schools, attending River Oaks (K-3), Salisbury (4)(closed in 1972), and Howard (5-6)Elementary Schools, Ray Adams Junior High School (7-9) (closed in 1982), and is a proud graduate of Dearborn High School (10 -12), Class of 1980. While at Dearborn High School, he was a 3 year varsity lettermen in swimming under the legendary coach Jack Dunworth where he earned All-City, All Conference, and All State Honorable Mention honors and was a member of the High School City Champions (1978-79-80) and the 1978 Suburban 8 Conference Champions. As an age group swimmer, he also held the City of Dearborn Records in the Backstroke and Butterfly events and won individual City Age Group and City Junior High School championships in many different swimming events. He was also a member of the staff of the Dearborn High School Newspaper, The Observer, and participated in the DHS Theatre program in 1980, appearing in the cast of West Side Story his senior year. He holds his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1984), his Master of Arts Degree in Theatre & Dance from The American University in Washington D.C. (1989) and his Teacher Certification in Education from Eastern Michigan University (1995) with teaching concentrations in Literature and Language Arts, and Theatre, Speech, Film, and Communications.
Before becoming an educator, Mr. Viscomi worked for many years as a professional stage actor, singer, and dancer with performances in touring and regional productions of West Side Story, Man of La Mancha, Biloxi Blues, Oklahoma!, Godspell, Grease, The Most Happy Fella, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the world premiere of David: A Musical. Other stage credits include leading roles in the American East Coast premiere of the musical version of The Good Woman of Setzuan, the Metro Detroit premiere of Assassins, the Wayne County ( Michigan) premiere of The Guys. and productions of ART, Lend Me A Tenor, Frankenstein, White Christmas: The Musical, The Fantasticks, The Ghost and the Stage, and The Odd Couple to name a few. He also did film extra work and voice over work while on the east coast. In addition to his work with DHS Theatre, he also is the Artistic Director of The West Side Theatre Project in Dearborn, and serves as the current President of The Dearborn Area Theatre Association. Previously, he held the position of President of the Dearborn Community Arts Council from 2007-2011.
He is married to the former Christina Monolidis (DHS Class of 1980), now Christina Viscomi, a practicing attorney in Dearborn, and they are the proud parents of two daughters, Maria (DHS Class of 2017) and Adriana ( DHS Class of 2021). They reside in the Dearborn area.