Richard DiPrima, Psy.D., Director, founded The Young Shakespeare Players in 1980 in Madison, Wisconsin. Since then, he directed thousands of actors (from six to eighty-six years of age) in Madison and Chicago, in full-length productions of Shakespeare plays. He taught scores of seminars on the technical aspects of Shakespeare’s language to students of all ages, as well as to seasoned doctoral-level scholars. Richard was a clinical psychologist and, formerly, a business owner and editor and publisher of educational materials. He is author of The Actor’s and Intelligent Reader’s Guide to the Language of Shakespeare: A Complete Handbook, and Our Mutual Friend (a four-act stage play adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens). He lived in Madison, next door to the YSP Playhouse. Richard passed away in 2023.

Anne DiPrima, Psy.D., Co-Director of The Young Shakespeare Players, has been instrumental in the conception and production of all YSP projects, in both Madison and Chicago, since 1984. As Costumer, she designs and constructs original costumes for all YSP productions. She also manages the complex task of casting the young actors in each production. Anne is a clinical psychologist and maintains a full-time psychology practice in Madison. She was a teacher, graphic designer, journalist, and editor before becoming a psychologist and joining YSP.