Faculty & Staff

Theatre Department faculty are both master teachers and working professionals. They bring a breadth and depth of experience in all aspects of theatre, and make each individual’s educational journey both exciting and successful.

Administration

Gage Williams, Department Chair, Set Design and Production Design

Faye Barron, Administrative Assistant, email

Colleen Ruth, Theatre Accountant, email

Britney Gunn, Office Assistant, email

Elizabeth Abbott, College of Fine Arts Academic Advisor

Libby Oberg, College of Fine Arts Academic Advisor, email

Actor Training Program and Musical Theatre Program

Jacque Lynn Bell, Alexander Technique and Movement for Actors

Michael Cobb, Acting, Voice and Text, email

Cecily Ellis, Vocal Instructor, email

Jerry Gardner, Movement/Butoh, Actor Training Program

Brian Manternach, Actor Training Program, email

Peder Melhuse, Acting and Voice, Actor Training Program, email

David Schmidt, singing for The Actor Training Program and the Musical Theatre Program, email

Shalee Schmidt, Vocal Instructor, email

Sarah Shippobotham, Acting, Dialects, Head of the Actor Training Program, email

Sandra Shotwell, Acting, Voice and Speech, Actor Training Program, email

Theatre Studies

Sydney Cheek O’Donnell, Theatre History, Dramaturgy, Directing email

Jane England, Dramatic Literature and London Study Abroad Program, email

Xan S. Johnson, Child Drama, Young People’s Theatre Directing, Youth Theatre at the U, email

Bob Nelson, Theatre history, Literature, Performance, New-Play Development, email

Tim Slover, Playwriting, Dramatic Literature, London Study Abroad Program, email

Performing Arts Design Program

Kyle Becker, Technical Director, email

Doug Ellis, Set Design, email

Amanda French, Hair and Makeup, email

Carolyn Leone, Costume Design, email

Wendy Massine, Costume Design

Karen Porcher, Properties Designer, Set Decoration, email

Jesse Portillo, Lighting Design, email

Matthew Tibbs, Sound Design, email

Brenda Van der Wiel, Costume Design, Shop Foreman, email

Gage Williams, Department Chair, Set Design and Production Design, email

Stage Management

Barbara Sturgis, Head of BFA Stage Management, Production Manager, email

Jeffrey Williams, Production Stage Manager, Pioneer Theatre Company, email

General and Non-Major Course Faculty

Margo Andrews, Acting for Non-Majors, email

Penelope Caywood, Artistic Director of Youth Theatre at the U, email

Ronald Q. Frederickson, Acting, Voice and Diction, Text Analysis, email

Hugh Hanson, Acting for Non-Majors, Drama Arts TV, email

Amy Oakeson, Musical Theatre, email

Bill Parkinson, Tai Chi Yoga, Meditation/Movement

William Poore, Acting for Non-Majors, email

Richard G. Scharine, Professor Emeritus, American Political Theatre, email

Barbara Smith, Acting for Majors and Non-Majors, email

Cheryl Gaysunas Williams, Acting, email

Elizabeth Williamson, Acting and Directing, email