David Shakes

Shakes was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Brooklyn, and studied communications at Ithaca College. He was active in New York in the early-1970s, performing in Harlem with the group Spirit House Movers and Players.

Shakes resettled in Rochester in 1976, and in addition to acting and directing with various local groups, he worked as a counselor and social worker at Lewis Street Center and later as a social worker for the City School District.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Empire State College-Genesee Valley Center and his master’s in social work from Syracuse University.