Started his theatre training at Suffolk County Community College and continued at Penn State University where he earned a BFA in Theatre Production. Charles later earned a MFA in Scenic Design (studying with John Ezell) from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He spent the next few years freelancing in New York, joining United Scenic Artists and working as an assistant on Broadway shows by day (Little Me, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Sound of Music, Jitney, The Judas Kiss, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Marlena, Lion In Winter) and a designer on the “off-off-scene“ by night. He has designed regionally at theatres across the country. He is the Academic Chairman of Theatre Arts at SCCC, where he often directs and designs scenery. Charles has collaborated with Nancy Rhodes and Encompass several times over the years, notably as the Scenic Designer for the world premiere of Anna Christie.
