John Bechtold

John has been teaching at ARHS since 1999. Having begun as an actor in high school, he regularly appreciates that this long line has continued into his adult life.

Special interests include immersive and site specific theater, acting technique, lighting design, poetry, Shakespeare's last plays, and multi-disciplinary performance work. He has a B.A. from Bates College and an M.Ed. from Harvard University. John recently completed a sabbatical in 2017 that placed him in London to research immersive theater practices from multiple companies around the U.K.

Outside of school, John regularly directs his own work, including recent immersive theater productions with Chester Theatre Company, Eggtooth Productions, The Shea Theater, and the Emily Dickinson Museum. He also directs DASAC - a wild, ambitious visual and performing arts program held each summer at Deerfield Academy.

​John loves living in Western Mass and finds time whenever possible to hike, play ultimate, read books, and rewatch Twin Peaks.