John D. Poling, Director
THE LION IN WINTER represents an extraordinary opportunity for John to combine two of his passions – theatre and history. He has taught history at Parkland College for over 20 years. The reign of Henry II is one of his favorite periods of English history to teach. John’s history with Heartland Theatre isn’t quite as long as that of Parkland. His first production at Heartland was playing David in THE END OF THE TOUR in 2011, where he was honored to sit at the knee of the legendary Sandi Zelinski and learn what the craft of acting was really all about. Since that time, he’s appeared in MIDDLETOWN, PHOTOGRAPH 51, and TABLE MANNERS at Heartland. He has directed offerings in Heartland’s 2022 10-Minute Play Festival and its 2023 New Plays from the Heartland. His play DESTINY’S TUG-OF-WAR was one of the winners in the 2012 10-Minute Play Competition PLAYING GAMES. He has had four short plays produced by Nomad Theatre. His recent film work includes THE LITTLE VAGABOND (2021) and AMERICAN CRIMINALS (2024) John’s most recent mainstage directing credits include AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (2018) and CABARET (2019) at Community Players Theatre along with WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME (2023) at Richland Community College in Decatur.