Meet Clark University Professor Gino Dilorio
By Kyle Devitte

 Part of what makes Central MA so unique is its abundance of colleges and universities. And at each institution, there are professors, instructors, and coaches who go above and beyond simply dispensing academic fact inside the classroom; this special breed of educator becomes mentor, role model, and inspiration. It is these individuals that we will be honoring in Focus on Faculty.

Professor Dilorio has been a professor at Clark University for over fifteen years. After graduating from Clark in 1983, Gino went on to work in film and television projects as a professional actor. In 1990, he was offered a part-time position teaching Improvisation in the fledgling theatre program at Clark. This position allowed him both to teach and work on his own writing. Eventually, Gino combined the best of both worlds and accepted a position that allowed him to teach the very craft that became his career – playwriting.

Gino is the type of Professor who, well, lets you call him Gino. He “…just never could get used to being called ‘Professor’.” By his own admission, he is “…a playwright first and second, a teacher third.” To anyone who might question those priorities, Gino offers that he is “…doing the best for his students” by working hard at his craft while teaching them the art of playwriting. Gino is a writer who also happens to also teach, but that does not preclude him from being an excellent educator.

I asked Gino why he continues to write and teach. He responded that “I think Hemingway said, ‘If you can write and teach, you ought to be able to do both at the same time.’ And that’s good enough for me.

Gino is currently working on a play titled Centennial Casting that he co-wrote with his wife. It is being produced this summer at Penguin Rep in Stonypoint, NY. He is also working on a new play about soldiers in Iraq. There will be a reading of the first act at Clark University on April 12, performed by his own students ~ showcasing the perfect marriage of Gino’s teaching and his playwriting.