WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY'S THEATRE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Supervisor, Promotions and Outreach
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of TheatAssociate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion / / Co - Artistic Director of Black Theatre and Dance Collective / Associate Professor
Job Titles:
- Lighting and Sound Technician
Job Titles:
- Repertory Artist, Dunham Technique
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Head of Performance
Cheryl Turski, Associate Professor is an Acting and Movement for the Actor specialist for the graduate and undergraduate acting programs. She was previously a Visiting Professional Specialist at the University of Notre Dame, and an instructor with the ART/MXAT Institute at Harvard. Professionally, she has worked as a choreographer with national directors West Hyler, Allegra Libonati, Drew Fracher, Cameron Knight, and Scotty Arnold. Cheryl is a regular Movement Instructor and Choreographer with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival. In addition, she has performed internationally in China, as well as regionally at Meadowbrook Theatre, Purple Rose Theatre, and Tipping Point Theatre.
Job Titles:
- Allesee Guest Artist in Residence - House Style
Dana Gamarra- ASO II/Production Coordinator. Dana has stage managed in the Detroit Metropolitan area for over twenty-five years at the Gem/Century Theatre for such productions as Forbidden Broadway, The All Night Strut, I Love You You're Perfect, Now Change, Beehive as well as at The Purple Rose Theatre Company from their first production Blush at Nothing to more recently, Jeff Daniels Live & Unplugged as well touring with Jeff around the country. Dana taught at Wayne State University for the past 17 years where he had the opportunity to mentor and teach Graduate and Undergraduates stage managers. Most recently, he has been teaching (part-time) his introduction to stage management class at Oakland University. He is pleased to bring his expertise to the Hilberry Gateway Stage, Studio, and Maggie Allesee Dance Studio Theatres and looks forward to working with the entire Theatre & Dance Faculty to continue the tradition of great theatre and dance in southeastern Michigan. Dana is a very proud member of the Actor's Equity Association where he had been the Liaison Chair for 22 years. Lastly, he cannot express enough words for the love he has for his wife Karen and his girls Katalyn, Natalie, and Rosalie!!
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- David Parker Instructor
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Liza Bielby Instructor
- Writer
Biography
Biba Bell (b. 1976, Sebastopol) is a writer, dancer, and choreographer based in Detroit. She earned her Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University. Her performance work has been shown in France, Russia, Germany, Italy, Canada, and across the U.S. She was a 2016 Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellow, a 2015 DAAD guest professor of Experimental Performance in Germany, and is an Assistant Professor in Dance at Wayne State University. Her research interests include contemporary choreography, site-specificity, domestic labor, architecture and performance, and dance in the museum. She edited the 2nd issue of Detroit Research Journal, /On Dance, and was co-editor of Movement Research's Critical Correspondence 2014-2016. Her writing has been published in Dance Research Journal, Movement Research Performance Journal, Pastelegram, Performance Research Journal, Sound American Journal, and FRONT. Bell has been highly impacted by her work as a founding member of the collective MGM Grand (Modern Garage Movement, 2005-2011) and performing with NYC-based choreographers Maria Hassabi and Walter Dundervill amongst others. Of her dancing the New York Times writes "It's invigorating to watch someone who borders on wild."
Biography
Marc Arthur joined the Department of Theatre and Dance as Assistant Professor in Fall 2022. Before joining the faculty at Wayne State, Arthur was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan. He received his PhD from the Department of Performance Studies at New York University in 2019 and his BA from the California College of the Arts in 2008.
Arthur's writing and criticism has appeared in edited volumes and journals including Theatre Journal, TDR: The Drama Review, Bomb Magazine, and Canadian Theatre Review, as well as numerous edited collections. He has also written extensively for Performa Magazine, where he was editor from 2015 - 2017. From 2011 - 2017 he was the Head of Research and Archives at Performa where he organized touring exhibitions, curated programs, led interdisciplinary research projects with a wide range of artists, and spearheaded the acquisition of the Performa collection.
As an artist, he incorporates methods from community-based theatre, dance, and painting. His work has been presented at theatres and galleries internationally, including the Martha Graham Dance Theater, La MaMa E.T.C., Dixon Place, The Living Theater, Movement Research at Judson Church, the Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance, the Wild Project, University Settlement, and Chashama in New York City; New Langton Arts and David Cunningham Projects, San Francisco; Moyse Theatre at McGill University, Montreal; Xavier Hufkens Gallery, Brussels; the Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice; Universität der Künste, Berlin; and FRISE, Hamburg.
Biography
Dr. RAS Mikey Courtney is an Emmy awarded lifist/performing arts professional who explores the concept of ‘movement as cultural knowledge', by using the arts as a conduit for cultural understanding in communities globally. As an established choreographer, director, educator, singer/songwriter, and host/emcee, Dr. RAS received a BFA in Modern Dance from the UARTs in Philadelphia and an Advanced MA degree in Ethnochoreology from the University of Limerick in Ireland, where he also completed his PhD in Arts Practice Research. Dr. RAS has developed an embodied contemporary Ethiopian form he calls Ethio-Modern Dance, which he transmits through workshops, lectures, classes, and publications. Dr. RAS' works reflect his diverse cultural experiences and investigate the relevance of embodied cultural knowledge within performance and education. In conjunction with teaching and producing various works with his company Fore Im a Versatile Entertainer (F.I.V.E.) LLC, Dr. RAS has also collaborated with artists and companies from around the world, including Pilobolus, Raven-Symoné, Major Lazer, the Marley family, Chronixx, Irish Aid, AfroFlow, Skales, and the International Organization of Migration in Addis Ababa, to name a few. Dr. RAS Mikey has facilitated a student/staff exchange between the University of Limerick and Addis Ababa University.
As a songwriter Dr RAS addresses systemic divides, in our Eurocentric world, through the lens of the Africanist experience. His latest music EP release THIN LINE (2023) is a cinematic soundtrack of the times and his third project with producer Kenny Allen.
"Movement is life and I'm a Lifist" www.rasmikeyc.com
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Teaching
Biography
Foster Johns (He/Him) is a voice and speech practitioner as well as an actor. In recent years he has taught at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance, Washtenaw Community College, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Acting Program. Foster has also had the pleasure of being a guest lecturer at the St. Paul Conservatory of the Performing Arts, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He is a certified teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork and holds an MFA in Voice Studies from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama as well as a BA in Theater and English from Boston College.
Foster hails from New Orleans, LA but has up until recently called the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) home for a decade where he was involved in the vibrant local theater scene as both a dialect coach and performer. He was a core company member of Umbrella Collective and a resident dialect coach for the Actors Workout at the Guthrie. Foster has served as a voice and dialect coach for more than 80 productions in the university setting and professionally, including Bad News! I was there… (directed by Joanne Akalaitis), two productions of A Christmas Carol (directed by Lauren Keating), and the remount of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses (directed by Mary Zimmerman) at the Guthrie as well as phenomenal productions for Shakespeare in Detroit, Park Square, Theater Latte Da, and many others.
His past and ongoing research focuses on the ethnomethodological lens of the use of vocal perspectives to enhance the performer's breadth of vocal expression. His research with colleague Dr. Artemis Preeshl on the "American Elizabethan" accent examined the accents of Ocracoke, Smith, and Tangier Islands and how climate change as well as exploring isolation factors in the disappearance of these accents. Future research that he is hoping to endeavor upon includes methods of enhanced vocal characterization and a practice as research-based methodology that examines inclusive pedagogical practices in implementing dialogic voice craft amongst underrepresented voices, particularly queer and BIPOC communities.
He is also a proud member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association for which he has served as the social media manager for four years, on the Interdisciplinary Engagement Committee as their KCACTF Rep coordinator, and currently serves on the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. In 2021 he was a co-recipient of the VASTA Service Award for these efforts. In addition to teaching and coaching for theater, Foster continues to develop his own voice practice, Fojo Voiceworks, through which he works with professional voice users from several disciplines, gender diverse clients, and anyone who wants to expand the depth and breadth of their authentic vocal expression.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Director of Theatre
Fred Florkowski, associate professor, scenic designer and Bonstelle Theatre technical director is a graduate of WSU with a BS in education and an MFA in scenic design. He has provided technical direction and scenic designs for over 80 productions in regional theatres. Credits include You're Not Alone an educational film for high school and middle school teens; the Old Jerusalem lobby exhibit at the Jewish Community Center; Little Shop of Horrors and 10 November at the Bonstelle Theatre; Misalliance and Of Mice and Men at the Hilberry, and Footloose for Motor City Youth Theatre. His work is frequently seen at Novi's Second City, and he is a co-founder of Motor City Youth Theatre. He has chaired several presentations at USITT conferences and has provided designs and technical direction for Plowshares Theatre, Tinderbox Productions, Oakland Community College and Novi Youth Theatre.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Teaching
Biography
Hannah Andersen (MFA, NCPT, FMT) is an Assistant Professor of Teaching, Dance, at where her work intersects dance science, dancer wellness, Pilates, arts education, pedagogy, and technique. She teaches theory and practice courses in the BS/BFA Dance Programs, MA Teaching Artistry Program, and directs the Pilates Mentorship Program guiding theatre and dance students in obtaining Pilates Teacher Certifications. She is a lead collaborator in a cross-disciplinary initiative for Dancer Wellness between the Dance Program and Physical Therapy Program at Wayne State where research is being presented and published (inter)nationally. Andersen received the 2017 "Doug Risner Prize for Emerging Dance Researchers" and has been published in the Journal of Dance Education and Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices. She has served on teaching faculty at Whatcom Community College, University of Oregon, and Western Washington University, and received awards, and fellowships from University of Oregon, National Dance Education Organization, Dance Science and Somatics Educators, and International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. She spent three seasons with Bellingham Repertory Dance (WA, USA) and holds residencies through Hannah Andersen Dance. Program Coordinator, Bachelor of Science in Dance Professions Pilates Mentorship Program
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Guest Director of "Silent Sky" by Lauren Gunderson
Job Titles:
- Professor of Theatre in the Maggie Allesee Department
James Thomas is a Professor of Theatre in the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance. He earned his BA from St. Ambrose College, MA from Villanova University, and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. His has taught at Mt. Holyoke College, Marquette University, and Florida State University, where he also served as Associate Dean. He chaired Wayne State's Department of Theatre from 1994 to 1999 and later the Department of Theatre and Dance from 2010 to 2012. He held the role of CFPCA Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs from 2015 to 2023.
In 2001, he established a summer study abroad program with the Moscow Art Theatre School, operational until 2021. His is translator of Russian director Anatoly Efros's books The Joy of Rehearsal, The Craft of Rehearsal, and Beyond Rehearsal (Peter Lang Publishers) and has authored books The Art of the Actor-Manager (UMI Research Press), Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers (Routledge) and A Director's Guide to Stanislavsky's Active Analysis (Bloomsbury Publishing). He also has a forthcoming translation of the biography of Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, cofounder and director of the Moscow Art Theatre alongside Stanislavsky (Routledge). He has published in Methuen Drama, Theatre Journal, The University of Texas Library Chronicle, Contemporary Theatre Review, and SCENE: A Journal of Space and Scenic Production.
He is recipient of the Service Award from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and the Outstanding Mentor Award and Murray Jackson Creative Scholar in the Arts Award from Wayne State.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Guest Director for Agatha Christie 's Murder on the Orient Express
Janice L Blixt (Director) has been a director, adapter, actor, and teacher of theatre for the past 25 years. As the Artistic Director of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival for 13 years, she has directed 25 MainStage productions including Hamlet, Henry IV (combined 1 & 2), Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Measure for Measure, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard II, Richard III, Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night, and A Winter's Tale in addition to The Importance of Being Earnest, Charley's Aunt, Pygmalion, The Rover, and The Killer Angels, and her original translations of Chekhov's The Seagull (available on Amazon) and Feydeau's A Flea In Her Ear (soon available). Her productions have won 12 Best Production Wilde Awards and play to audience and critical acclaim. She has also directed for First Folio Shakespeare, WildClaw, BWBTC, and The Factory Theatre. As an actor, she has played many of the great Shakespeare women: Kate (Shrew), Olivia, Dionyzia, Isabella, Titania/Hipplyta, Queen Elizabeth (R3), Beatrice, Lady Capulet, and Portia (Caesar), after her years in Detroit on the Hilberry Stage when she earned her MFA. She is married to novelist and fight director David Blixt and they live mostly in Chicago with their children, Dashiell and Evelyn, and their adorable but very dumb cats.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Teaching
Jill Dion is a graduate of the Moscow Art Theatre School (MXT). She is a founding member of the sixth studio to be born out of the MXT and has performed with the group internationally. In addition to her expertise in the Russian method of movement, she is Pilates certified and is a ballroom dance instructor. Jill also is program director of the Wayne State University A Month in Moscow study abroad program and artistic director of Motor City Cabaret, WSU's musical theatre outreach program.
Job Titles:
- Guest Director for the Rocky Horror Show
Job Titles:
- Faculty Technical Director
Biography
John Keisling is the Faculty Technical Director for the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He earned an MFA in Technical Production from Florida State University. Prior to beginning his career as an educator, John worked as a Carpenter for regional theatres and as a Mechanical Designer for a scenic production company.
John is the Author of AutoCAD for Theatrical Drafting: A Resource for Designers and Technical Directors. AutoCAD for Theatrical Drafting provides an introduction to the software AutoCAD, specifically focusing on how to navigate the commands most commonly used when creating design, construction and installation drafting plates for theatrical use.
John Wolf is a native Midwesterner raised in Kansas and Nebraska. He holds a master of fine arts in theatre with an emphasis in scenic and lighting design from University of Alabama and a bachelor of science in theatre from Lindenwood University. He interned at the Juilliard School of Music. He spent 20 years in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he served as professor of lighting design and director of production for University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) Department of Theatre. John served on the City of Greensboro Performing Arts Center Task Force to study the economic impact associated with the creation of the Greensboro Performing Arts Center. He has been both administrative vice president and chair of design for the Southeastern Theatre Conference and sat on the boards of directors for the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Region IV and Stillwater Theatre in Raleigh, NC.
As resident lighting designer for Triad Stage, a regional theatre in Greensboro, and recipient of a 2010 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing, John designed 35 productions in 11 years. His designs have been seen in New York at Lion Theatre, Center Stage, Soho Playhouse, Gene Frankel Theatre, Trinity Theatre, Symphony Space and Lincoln Center. Regionally, he designed at the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Mill Mountain Theatre, University of Florida, University of Tennessee and for University of Nebraska Opera.
Joshua L. Peugh (he/him) is the Founder and Artistic Director of Dark Circles Contemporary Dance and Co-founder of Fair Assembly. A graduate of Southern Methodist University and a former dancer with Universal Ballet (under the direction of Oleg Vinogradov), he has created work for festivals in Asia, Europe, and North America, winning awards for his choreography in South Korea, Japan, Canada, and the USA. He was the recipient of the Grand Prize at the McCallum Theatre's 18th Annual Choreography Festival, and Dance Magazine chose him as one of their "25 to Watch." Joshua served as choreographer for legendary soprano Kathleen Battle's concert Underground Railroad - A Spiritual Journey and was the 2018 recipient of the Natalie Skelton Award for Artistic Excellence. He has created over 50 new works for Amy Seiwert's Imagery, BalletX, Ballet Memphis, The Big Muddy Dance Company (My Dear Watson), BODYTRAFFIC, Bruce Wood Dance Project, Collage Dance Collective, Company E, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Theater Center (Colossal), Dance Lab NY, DanceWorks Chicago, Eisenhower Dance, Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, MADCO, METdance, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Verb Ballets (Romeo and Juliet), WaterTower Theater (The Ballad of Little Jo), and Whim W'Him, among others.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Professor
- Instructor
Julia Moriarty is a doctoral candidate (ABD) and adjunct professor at Wayne State University. She holds an MA in theatre education from Emerson College and BAs in theatre and psychology from Drake University. She is also the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of Etudes: An online performance studies journal for emerging scholars. Her work engages feminist theory while examining the performance of motherhood and non-motherhood on stage. She has worked professionally as an actor and director in the greater Detroit area, working at The Ringwald and the Jewish Ensemble Theatre, as well as throughout the country. She is a cast member of Right Between the Ears, a radio sketch-comedy group. She also serves on the board of the Mid-American Theatre Conference as the Graduate Student Liaison and is an active member of the Comparative Drama Conference.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Associate Professor of Teaching
- Karen Prall Associate Professor of Teaching
Karen Prall, Associate Professor of Teaching, is currently Instructor of Contemporary Modern dance, Afro-Beat movement, beginning and Intermediate African dance courses, and the artistic director of the African dance company "To Sangana". She is the recipient of the "President's Excellence in Teaching" Award. Founder and Director of "The Art of Motion Dance Theatre" in Detroit. Consultant and Supporter of Ballet Zoe Banjay a cultural drum & Dance company from Monrovia, Liberia in west Africa. Developed the online class "Spicy Seasoned" for women over fifty during pandemic. The research, studies, and presentations in African (Congolese) dance, music, and culture, Creative Movement for Children, Dunham, and Horton techniques, Afro-Cuban techniques, and Afro-Beat dance, made it possible for Ms. Prall to conduct extensive research on African culture, dance and music styles in Congo Brazzaville, Congo Kinshasa, Havana Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, Paris France, Ecole des Sables in Dakar Senegal, Monrovia Liberia, Suriname Paramaribo, Accra Ghana and on. Prall was invited to join the 1st Congolese company in the states (N.Y.) "Tanawa", she is also a former member of "Bichinis Bia Congo of Ann Arbor, Mich. Online IABD Bantaba guest artist speaker benefits of 2023 Conference. The youth can walk faster but the Elder knows the road. Assisting students in understanding our past on this journey while navigating the future.
Job Titles:
- Director of the WSU Dance CompanyONE
Director of the WSU Dance CompanyONE, Simmons is a WSU alumna and is president of the WSU Dance Alumni Association. She has worked as a consultant in creative dance in elementary education for Detroit Public Schools, and continues to collaborate with the public schools in programs for middle and high school dance students. In addition to choreography and performance in conjunction with the WSU Dance Company, she maintains a relationship with the Detroit Dance Collective as guest artist, and performs in collaborative projects with other Michigan artists.
Lisa Hodge Kander holds a PhD in theatre from Wayne State University and a licentiate from the Royal Academy of Music and Drama in London. She has studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School, American University and the Drama Studio of London. Kander is a winner of the 2002 National Points of Light Award for her work in youth theatre. She has taught theatre classes and workshops for Wayne State University, Oakland University, Michigan State University Extension, Rochester College, Class Act Drama 4-H and Americorps. She has created, directed and toured numerous original programs, such as Shakespeare is Fun! and American Folk Tales and Legends to schools, libraries, camps and festivals. She has also written and directed segments of Daedal Doors for Bloomfield Television. Kander has directed innovative productions of Shakespeare, classics by Brecht, Miller, Williams and Wilde, as well as new works, such as her original plays Julia, inspired by Julius Caesar and set in the modern day world of teen girl gangs; and Nightlight: Vampires Afraid of the Dork, a parody of the popular Twilight series.
Biography
Lisa R. LaMarre Wilmot, M.A. Dance Teaching Artistry, Wayne State University (2018), B.A. Dance, Presidential Scholar, Western Michigan University (2005), enriches dialogs between the complex identities of artist, researcher, and teacher. Her expertise includes dance company artistic direction, integrated and special education dance art education curriculum, and dance for the community. Her work has been presented at conferences nationally and in Canada, and her research on "The Role of Teaching Artists in Postsecondary Education…" can be found in the Journal of Dance Education.
LaMarre continues to test the boundaries of performance-based responsive artwork working to bring dance into the realm of everyday life. Artwork created with LaMarre and Dancers has focused on the utility of the human body in response to sites and sounds of the community. She has created over 100 original live art performances, 6 major dance films, and was a 2018 Kresge LiveArts Panelist. Her work has been produced for Wayne State University, Grand Valley State University, Oakland University, ArtPrize7, Defibrillator Gallery, DDCdances, People Dancing, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit Contemporary, Detroit Institute of Arts, N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, Detroit Music Hall, Sidewalk Detroit, ArtPeers, Multikulti, What You Will Festival, WNUR, Hatch Arts, Pubic Pool, Chicago Calling, Rapid Pulse, Access Arts, and numerous public and private spaces nationally. Lisa was a seed grant recipient for ArtPrize 7 premiering "They Were Displaced…And Again" curated by res345 at The Rumsey Street Project. Her community engagements also include work for Michigan Arts Access (formally VSA Michigan) where she shares dance making with special education classrooms. She is a member of both Michigan Dance Council and National Dance Education Organization.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Instructor
- Liza Bielby Instructor
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Teaching
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Head of Lighting
Biography
Matt Taylor is a lighting designer based in Detroit, MI. Originally from a small town in rural South Carolina, Matt attended undergraduate school at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. When he graduated in 2007, he continued his educational pursuit by entering the graduate program at the University of Florida, where he received his MFA in Lighting Design in 2010.
While in graduate school, Matt spent two summers at the renowned Williamstown Theatre Festival--his first summer as a lighting design intern and his second as the main stage master electrician. During his time at WTF, he was introduced to numerous professional designers and electricians. Immediately after graduating from UF, Matt moved to NYC, where he had the incredible fortune to work with and continue to learn from these designers, assistants, and electricians. He has since worked in NYC, numerous regional theatres throughout the country, as well as internationally.
In 2019, Matt joined the faculty of Wayne State University's Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre & Dance where he is the Head of Lighting Design, leading the MFA and BFA studies in Lighting Design for Live Entertainment. Prior to his time at Wayne, Matt served as an assistant professor at Utah Valley University, visiting assistant professor of lighting design at the University of Florida and the resident lighting and sound designer at the University of California Riverside.
Outside of the theatre, Matt spends a lot of time with family and friends. He loves the outdoors, coffee, good music, a good book, a good laugh, a good chat, and Gator Football (Go Gata!).
Matt is a proud member of USA 829.
Job Titles:
- Scene Shop Supervisor
- Shop Supervisor for the Maggie Allessee Department of Theatre
Matt Gribbin is the scene shop supervisor for the Maggie Allessee Department of Theatre and Dance. He started his career working for Stage Works, an independent theatrical production, supply and rental company, in Pennsylvania. He went on to work for the State Theatre in Easton, PA as house sound engineer and carpenter. He relocated to Michigan in 2000 and has been working as the scene shop supervisor since March of 2001. Since joining the staff at Wayne State he has worked as a carpenter and overseen student employees, at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, in constructing scenery for the Hilberry, Bonstelle and Studio Theatres. In addition to overseeing scenic construction, he has had the opportunity to design sound for A Dream on Monkey Mountain and provide technical direction for A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum, Little Shop of Horrors, Evita, Rimer's of Eldritch and Black Nativity. He has also constructed scenery for Jewish Ensemble Theatre, Box Fest, Motor City Youth Theatre, Second City - Detroit and Berkley High School.
Job Titles:
- Academic Services Officer III
- Director of Theatre Business Operations
Michael Donohue, Director of Theatre Business Operations, is a graduate of New York University TISCH School of Arts (BFA) and Wayne State University (MFA). Donohue previously served as General Manager at Cherry County Playhouse in Muskegon, Michigan, where he also worked as Associate Producer for Muskegon Lake Television, Inc. Donohue has also worked as the Business Manager for Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo, Michigan and as the Associate Business Manager for Playwrights' Horizon, Inc. in New York City.
Job Titles:
- Interim Chair and Associate Professor
Biography
Michael J. Barnes, Interim Chair & Associate Professor, and teaches voice & speech, directing, and acting in the graduate and undergraduate acting programs. He previously served as the department's Artistic Director of the department and the university's Chief Privacy Officer. He has also been on the faculty of the Broadway Theatre Project--with Artistic Director, Ben Vereen; the University of Miami; and Temple University, and taught at UC-Irvine, the University of Delaware, and the University of Central Oklahoma.
He has served as a voice, speech, dialect, & text coach for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Arena Stage, Wilma Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, Studio Theatre (DC), Rep Stage Company, the Pearl Theatre (NYC), People's Light and Theatre, Venture Theatre, Everyman Theatre, and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
He has dialect coached the films The Witch (Sundance Film Festival Award Winner; Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie), Master Class (Faye Dunaway), Convicted (Aidan Quinn, Kelly Preston, Connie Nielson, Tim Daly; directed by Academy Award winner Bille August) and Broken Bridges (Kelly Preston, Toby Keith, Burt Reynolds, Tess Harper; directed by Steven Goldman).
He recently decided to start performing again and has acted at the Richmond Shakespeare Festival and Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. He was formerly President of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) and is the Director of Technology of the Fitzmaurice Institute.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Karen Prall Associate Professor of Teaching
Job Titles:
- Guest Director of "the Wolves"
Wayne Parker has been a working professional actor for 40 years, appearing in over 200 productions in his career. He is a resident artist at Purple Rose Theatre and is proud to have been a member of The Attic Theatre while he was still in college. Wayne has been nominated for a Wilde Award seven times and has won four times, along with winning the Lee Hills Life Time Achievement Award from the Detroit Free Press. He has appeared in 19 feature films, most notably Escanaba in da Moolight with Jeff Daniels and Have a Little Faith written by Mitch Albom. Wayne is also a voiceover artist with many national credits, including the national voice of Pennzoil 2011-13. He is a certified fight choreographer and has staged many fight scenes at both the Bonstelle and Hillberry theatres. Wayne teaches Acting For the Camera and Voice Over for the third year MFA students and Acting and Scene Study for undergraduates.