J. T. Buck

J. T. Buck (born 6 June 1978) is the Director of Arts for First Grace United Church of Christ in Akron, Ohio. He is also a composer, lyricist, stage director, vocalist, and pianist.

Born and raised in Akron, Buck graduated from Central-Hower High School in 1996. He spent his first few years post high school working as a freelance pianist, actor and director and music director.

Buck spent two summers as musical director for the National Children's Theatre School summer workshops in Vail Colorado, and two summers as music director for the Columbia Gorge School of Theatre in White Salmon, Washington. He has taught numerous classes and workshops. In 1999 he also acted including a part in the romantic comedy Bell, Book and Candle.

Buck received his BA in Theatre Arts with a minor in music from the University of Akron in 2004. He is currently completing a masters degree in Directing from the University of Houston. While in Houston, Buck produced of the 2005 Albee New Plays Festival under the leadership of Pulitzer-winner Lanford Wilson, and completed an internship at the 2005 Tony Awards and the revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf under producer Elizabeth I. McCann. He was also was twice a student of Tony-Winning Broadway producer Stuart Ostrow's New Musical Theatre Lab.

In 2006, Buck accepted the position of Arts Director at First Grace UCC in Akron. His work there involves directing worship-related music and arts, as well as producing and directing grass-roots theatre, music, dance and visual art in collaboration with local and national artists.

Buck has directed a variety of pieces for the stage, including Corpus Christi (play), The Laramie Project, State Fair, "Book of Days", Godspell, Christopher Durang's Titanic, As Bees In Honey Drown, Dearly Departed, A Christmas Carol, and Marley.