Robert Deguzman
Instructor of Production Management
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BA Theater Arts, University of the Philippines-Diliman
Research Areas: Theater Practice; Community Engagement; Migration; Memory; Decolonization
Robert graduated cum laude with a BA in Theater Arts from the University of the Philippines-Diliman under a UP Office for the Initiatives of Culture and Arts scholarship and an International Diploma from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, under an Association of International Education in Japan scholarship. He also studied Noh (Japanese traditional theater) under Dr. Naohiko Umewaka at UP Center for International Studies, Kyomai (Kyoto's traditional dance) under Yoko Inoue at Gion School of Japanese traditional arts, Oddissi (Indian traditional court dance) under Guru Geetha Shakarnalam at Temple of Fine Arts in Malaysia and Physical Theater under Thomas Prattki at London International School of Performing Arts in the United Kingdom.
He attended various theater conferences, workshops, and performance exposures in some 42 countries across Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
He production managed, acted, directed, and wrote theater plays for Philippine's UP Theater Company, UP Playwright's Theater, and UP Experimental Theater. He also wrote and directed plays for the Filipino Theater Company at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
His works as a playwright have won him awards from the Philippines' most prestigious literary competition, the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.
He was a lecturer for the International Studies Department of De La Salle University and facilitated theater workshops at different universities and NGOs.
Robert left his country for the Middle East in 2009 to broaden his professional experience and worldview. He spent four years in Doha, Qatar, where he production managed, wrote, and directed theater operetta and other performances for inauguration ceremonies before the Al Thani royal family. He then joined Imagination, an independent global creative agency. He is recognized as the world's leading authority in brand experience as Senior Production Manager and was part of setting up both Qatar and UAE offices. He delivered projects in MENA, Central Asia, and South Asia for six years.
He is a first aider and holder of safety management certification from the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, UK.
He completed a Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvard University's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning.
He is currently a Theater Arts Instructor-Production Manager for the Theater Program of New York University Abu Dhabi and finishing his MA in Performance: Society from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, with a URL International Postgraduate scholarship.