June 10, 2026

For John Heimbuch (Theater 1996), returning to Perpich Arts High School is more than a teaching opportunity; it’s an opportunity to return to the community that helped shape his artistic journey.

Earlier this spring, Heimbuch spent two weeks working with Theater juniors and new seniors on Shakespearean monologues and soliloquies, helping them move beyond memorization and connect personally with some of the Bard’s most challenging texts.

“It was a chance to meet other people who had a like-minded interest in the arts,” Heimbuch said of his own time at Perpich. “There’s a very different thing that happens with the student population about creativity, inspiration, and the cross-pollination of interests.”

Hailing from Richfield, Minnesota, Heimbuch attended Perpich during his senior year and credits the school’s collaborative environment with broadening his artistic perspective. Although he studied theater, many of his closest friends were in other arts areas, exposing him to different creative disciplines and perspectives.

“I think because of Perpich, I’ve always felt a more holistic approach to the arts,” he said.

For John, returning to Perpich wasn’t simply about teaching the works of Shakespeare; it was about continuing a tradition of mentorship that began when he was a student. He credits former Theater Instructor Barbara Morin as “a very formative teacher for me,” and says he’s always eager to return when current Theater Instructor Tory Peterson calls. “If Tory asks me to do a thing, I’ll always come back,” Heimbuch said. “I think it’s really important that students see artists who are reachable. We’re so used to our role models being unattainable. It’s important to have role models who are a little more in our day-to-day lives.”

Throughout the two-week residency, John focused on helping students find personal meaning in Shakespeare’s language. Through a series of exercises grounded in imagination, lived experience, and character exploration, he watched students gain confidence and ownership of their work.

“The moments that really stuck with me were when there was a shift in their understanding of the material,” he said. “They might know the words intellectually, but suddenly they understood why they were saying them.”

One student, who had begun the residency insisting she hated Shakespeare, summed up the transformation best. “I don’t hate my piece anymore,” she told him. “I’ll take that as a win,” Heimbuch laughed.

For John, the experience was valuable not only for the students, but for his own growth as an artist and educator.

“You do these things long enough that they become intuitive,” he said. “Working with students forces you to break down your own process and ask, ‘How did I learn this? How do I explain it to someone else?’”

Today, Heimbuch continues to build a multifaceted career as a playwright, director, performer, and educator. Most recently, he is directing Perfect Arrangement for Walking Shadow Theatre Company and is currently focused on writing stage plays and screenplays. This summer, he will take on an ambitious new challenge: memorizing and performing The Odyssey.

Whether he’s directing professional productions, performing epic works, or coaching high school actors through Shakespeare, Heimbuch continues to carry forward the collaborative spirit that first inspired him at Perpich: one generation of artists encouraging the next.

For John, returning to Perpich is a reminder of the creative community that helped launch his own path, and an opportunity to help the next generation discover theirs.

John Heimbuch is the Artistic Director of Walking Shadow Theatre Company in Minneapolis, as well as an award-winning playwright, director, and performer. His original plays and stage adaptation have been published by Concord Theatricals and produced throughout the world. He has taught theatre and film at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and Perpich Center for Arts Education. And he has been performing Charlie Bethel’s solo versions of Beowulf and Gilgamesh at colleges, festivals, theatres, and bars around the United States since 2019. He graduated from Perpich’s Theater program in 1996.