NY Huskies

Husky profile: Ron Simons, ’01

RON SIMONS, ’01, MFA, DRAMA

Ron Simons knows a thing or two about stories. Not only does he help create them as producer of works on both screen and stage—he’s lived a fascinating story himself. Despite an early ambition to be an actor, he deferred that dream to become a software development engineer, moving up successfully through the industry. Even with his achievements in tech, Ron knew he had unfinished business, and made the decision to pursue his dream of acting.

Ron decided to hone his craft at the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program, earning his MFA. Following this new path brought him to New York and into the role of producer where his shows have won seven Tony Awards (two for the Broadway production of Porgy and Bess, one for Vania and Sonia and Masha and Spike and four for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), and he has made Sundance Official Selection for his first four films Night Catches Us, Gun Hill Road, Mother of George and Blue Caprice.

Ron attributes his success as a producer to the storytelling tools he learned at the UW, an experience he says was “indispensable to helping me be a creative producer.” And he certainly doesn’t take his connection to the university for granted.

“I’m at just about every UW alumni affair here,” says Ron, a fixture at NYC’s Dawgs on Wall Street alumni event. Ron encourages alums to reconnect to the school and support the university and its programs, with a firm belief that “the more you give, the more you get back.”

Read more about Ron Simons in this UWAA Columns profile.