Douglas C. Sprigg helped create an independent Department of Theatre in 1975, and during his first ten years as Chairman, the department expanded to include Dance, and Film/Video.  During his Thirty-Three years at Middlebury College, he taught a variety of courses in Dramatic Literature, Theatre History, Playwriting, Directing, and Acting.  Over a forty year career, he directed over ninety productions, including, at Middlebury, “Midwives” by Dana Yeaton, “The Three Sisters by Chekhov,” and “Hamlet,” as well as five additional plays by Shakespeare.  For fourteen summers he directed for the Heritage Repertory Theatre, an Equity theatre company in Charlottesville, VA.where, among other plays, he directed “The Miracle Worker,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “The Price” by Arthur Miller.  He has published articles, given talks, and conducted workshops dealing with various aspects of actor training, Chekhov’s dramaturgy, and Shakespearean staging.  He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in English Literature from The University of Michigan, and later received a Ph.D. in Theatre and Drama.  For several years he taught at Michigan in the Theatre Department, the English Department, and the Residential college.  He was the first recipient of an Endowed Chair in the Middlebury Department of Theatre.