James J. Peck: Founder, Artistic Director & Performer has been a professional actor, teacher and mask artist for 25 years.  2011 will be his 8th year as A.D. of Nutshell. He was in the acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR for 19 years.  He founded Nutshell Masks & Theater in 2003  to create, perform and teach mask-work. Nutshell has performed and taught workshops with the Rogue Valley, Eugene, Williamsport (Pa.) and Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic symphonies.  James graduated from Northwestern University, and has studied mime and masks in San Francisco with the Houle-Wibaux Mime Theater, masks and mythology at the Del’ Arte School and mask-dance as well as carving in Bali.  He has taught and directed productions at Southern Oregon University,  St. Mary's School in Medford, OR and Ashland High School.  With OSF, along with acting he has taught mask workshops, created masks and performed in them in; The Skin of Our Teeth, Dr. Faustus, Life is a Dream, Don Quixote and the Green Show.  He live and runs his mask studio in Ashland, Oregon.