John Owens Dietrich

John has had an extensive career as a professional Director/Choreographer/Writer that includes a 17-year relationship with Radio City Entertainment, where he was the Director/ Choreographer for the world-famous Rockettes, for Rockette Special Events (including numerous Macy’s Parade and Today Show appearances, the Presidential Inauguration, and the NBC Gala Re-Opening of Radio City), as well as being the director/choreographer for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Other work includes hundreds of shows in a vast range of entertainment genres: from television to Off-Broadway & regional theatre, from industrial shows to ice shows. Some highlights include: National/International Tours of The Wizard of Oz, Beauty & the Beast, and Singin’ in the Rain, Disney On Ice The Little Mermaid, A&E Television Special Gershwin on Ice, Mack & Mabel in Concert at Lincoln Center, and 7 years directing ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. He was also the Creative Director for Niles Creative Group, a film production company specializing in large scale theatrically based film and video productions and art installations worldwide.

As a writer, he wrote the book & lyrics for the musical Things As They Are, based on the life of documentary photographer Dorothea Lange with composer Jonathan Comisar. It was a Next Link selection for the New York Musical Theatre Festival and received the “Best of Fest” Award for most popular show. It was also twice nominated for the prestigious Fred Ebb Award. The musical Only Anne, (Composer – Will Buck), an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion set in the 1920’s jazz age, was selected for development at the 2015 Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat and the 2016 Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals. Selections from Only Anne were orchestrated by the Broadway legend Bill Brohn and performed by the Chelsea Symphony at the 2015 MTF New Orchestrations Gala. The musical Lautrec at the St. James (Composer - Julianne Wick Davis) was produced at the 2019 NAMT Conference and a Concert version was produced in 2022 at the Olney Theater. He has written for Walt Disney Entertainment, and continues to write and direct for Dolly Parton & Dollywood Entertainment.

He received his MFA from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, in Musical Theatre Writing, and his MA from New York University Gallatin School in Musical Theatre Structure & Directing Theory. He also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin. He spent 3 years on the adjunct faculty at Marymount College of Manhattan teaching Musical Theatre Performance. He currently teaches at the Dramatists Guild Institute and in NYU Tisch Open Arts where he teaches the History of the American Musical. John is a member of the Dramatists Guild.