All Faculty (A-Z Listing)
Department of Theatre and Dance
A | B | C | D | E| F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W |X | Y | Z
ALaurie A. Abramson
Michael Allen, MFA Michael Allen has earned professional credits in a variety of areas in theatre including Arts Education, Performance, Administration, Production/Stage & Arts Management, Production Design and Directing. Organization and committee affiliation include the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Regional II (Chair for Design Technology and Management). Additional University service affiliations include, Student Conduct Council, Minority Student Retention Committee, Student Grade Grievance Committee, and Graduation Senior Speaker Selection Committee. Allen is the faculty advisor for SGA University Players, The Student Campus Ministries and Buddhist for Peace International. Michael also serves on a variety of committees within the Department of Theatre and Dance. Mr. Allen has directed two joint project, one with the Justice Studies Department, The Exonerated and African American Studies Department, Requiem for Brother X. Also as a director, Michael has worked on productions for Players including Twilight of the Gold’s, In the Blood, The World Goes Round, and Lysistrata (adapted by Karen Anslem). In the department, he has designed lights for the dance production Works A Foot; worked as the scenic designer for the production of Working and stage-managed Steel Magnolias and Trojan Women. He has also written and directed three children’s theatre plays for the Gifted and Talented Program, An African Tale, Cindy and the Battle of Aspru and Robin the Hood. B
Neil Baldwin, Ph.D. Neil Baldwin, PhD, critically-acclaimed author, editor, and cultural historian, has published many works of nonfiction and biography over the course of his long career in the arts. As Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, he has created two new courses representing his teaching passions: Introduction to Dramaturgy: The Questioning Spirit (for undergraduates); and How to Run a Nonprofit Arts Organization (for the graduate MA Program in Arts and Museum Management). He also focuses upon introductory classes in The Theatrical Medium and Play Script Interpretation. Dr. Baldwin invented a new writing and critical discipline, "Danceaturgy," in which he works in close collaboration with the Dance Division faculty and students exploring the arc of the repertory every year; and shares his broad historical expertise as "Talk Back" moderator for many performing arts productions. As a further teaching innovation, Dr. Baldwin engages in ongoing email correspondence with faculty and students in drama and dance over the course of the semesters' productions. He is founding Director of The Creative Research Center, and serves with great pleasure as Faculty Advisor to the Theatre and Dance Honor Society, Theta Alpha Phi. Heather Ball Rachel Brown CJoao Carvalho Jennifer Chin, MFA Brian Cichocki, MFA Ruth A. Clark D
Eric Diamond, MFA Eric Diamond is a Professor of Theatre and Chairman of the Department of Theatre and Dance, as well as coordinator of the Musical Theatre minor. He has written and directed two original musicals produced by the department, Speak Easy and A Day in the Life. Eric earned his BFA in Music Composition from Penn State University, and his MFA in Musical Theatre from Temple University. Before coming to Montclair State, Eric spent over eleven years working in professional theatre in New York City. Off-Broadway he musical directed and/or composed music for Playwright's Horizons, The American Globe Theatre, The Acting Company, and on Broadway for George Abbott's musical play Broadway which played at the Royale Theatre. He was a member of ASCAP’s Musical Theatre Composer’s Workshop has spent two seasons at both the Williamstown Theatre Festival as resident composer and musical director, and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. He has musical directed departmental productions such as Pippin, Gypsy, Grease, Godspell, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Chorus Line and Fiddler on The Roof and has composed and arranged incidental and vocal music for productions such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Inherit The Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, and Nicholas Nickleby. Eric created the musical arrangements and orchestrations and played keyboards for The Best of Broadway, a College of the Arts musical production that traveled to the Ukraine and to Holland. He composed and arranged music for Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost at the University of the Arts’ Artsbank Theatre in Philadelphia. Jessica Di Mauro EMary English, Ph.D. F |
GKaren Gayle Lisa M. Grimes Lynne Grossman HIJ
Clay James, MFA CLAY JAMES, a native Miamian is a three-time recipient of the American Regional Theatre Award for Outstanding Direction and Choreography, the Moss Hart Award, the NHTA Award for Outstanding Choreography, and currently serves as Coordinator of Musical Theatre for Montclair State University – John J. Cali School of Music, Department of Theatre and Dance. For MSU he has directed and staged the NJ premiere of Parade, A Grand Night For Singing, Cabaret, And the World Goes Round, The Full Monty, A Bernstein Tribute, Crazy for You and Side Show among others. He has Directed and/or Choreographed for the St. Louis Muny Opera, Playhouse in the Park, Shores Performing Arts Center, North Shore Music Theatre, Kenley Players, Smithville Theatre, Jones Beach Marine Theatre, Resorts International, Walt Disney Productions, Mt. Washington Valley Theatre Company, Zeiterion Theatre, Flint Star Theatre, Westgate Dinner Theatre, Fiesta Dinner Theatre, Star Theatre of Taunton, The New Bedford Festival Theatre, The Pink Garter Theatre, and repeatedly served as Associate Choreographer for the Orange Bowl Halftime and Parade for NBC. As a performer he has appeared in over 40 productions on Broadway, Off Broadway, National Tours, Regional and Summer Stock. Clay's education and training includes a B.F.A. in Theatre (Acting/Directing) with a minor in Music (Vocal Performance) and an M.F.A. (Directing) from Florida Atlantic University. He is an active member in Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. Other choreographic and directing assignments include Industrials for IBM, FTD, Gulf and Western, American Parts Service, Children’s Resources and The City of Miami. Jay T. Jenkins K
Lori Katterhenry, MFA Lori Katterhenry received her BFA and MFA degrees in Dance from Florida State University and earned a CMA from the Laban Institute of Movement Studies in New York City. She was the Program Coordinator for the Montclair State University Division of Dance since 1986 and has been the Deputy Chair for the Department of Theatre and Dance since 2008. She is also the Artistic Director for the MSU Repertory Dance Company. Her works have been selected for performance at numerous Regional American College Dance Festivals and at three National American College Dance Festivals in 1983, 1986 and 1990. She has been a guest artist at Rice University, University of New Mexico, Theater on Podol in Kiev, and Theatre et Mouvement Festival in Montpellier, France. Her work Undone was selected for performance in the HUMOR UNPLUCKED Festival in New York City in 1996. In June ‘97 she traveled to Australia with members of the MSU School of the Arts, MSU dance students and alumni for performances and cultural enrichment in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. She choreographed and performed in the Pro Danza Italia Summer Dance Festival in Castiglioncello, Italy in 1998 and 1999. She was a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Schools of Dance from 2003-2009.
Susan Kerner, MFA Susan Kerner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance. A member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, her directing credits include productions in New York, London, Shanghai, and at major regional theatres throughout the United States including the Tony Award-winning Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and Meadow Brook Theatre (MI). As Resident Director at George Street Playhouse for 10 seasons, her critically acclaimed productions include the American premiere of Tom Kempinski’s SEPARATION and the world premiere of James Still’s award-winning AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME: REMEMBERING THE WORLD OF ANNE FRANK. Professor Kerner has taught and directed at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York University in London, Rutgers University, and Drew University. She served on a National Endowment for the Arts Theatre Panel for Education and Access and the National Advisory Committee for the Theatre Praxis. A 1996 recipient of the New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education, Ms. Kerner holds graduate degrees in Dramatic Literature from Columbia University and Directing from Boston University. She was a Fulbright Scholar in India and has taught and directed theatre programs in Greece, Italy, England, China, and Korea. LMichael D. Laibson Julie Lawrence-Edsell, MFA Jim Ligon, MFA Nancy Lushington |
MDianna Marino Rogelio Martinez, MFA
Elizabeth McPherson, Ph.D. Dr. McPherson has written the book The Contributions of Martha Hill to American Dance and Dance Education, 1900-1995 as well as articles and reviews for various publications including Dance Teacher Magazine, Ballet-Dance Magazine, and Attitude: The Dancers Magazine. Her current research is on The Bennington School of the Dance. Dr. McPherson also enjoys staging historical dance works from Labanotation such as Donald McKayle’s Games and Yvonne Rainer’s “Chair Pillow Dance” from Continuous Project Altered Daily. Before joining the faculty of Montclair State University, she held positions at Long Island University-Brooklyn campus, Fieldston Lower of The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, The City College of New York, and New York University. Dr. McPherson holds a BFA from Juilliard, an MA from The City College of New York, and a Ph.D. from NYU. Performance credits include: Avodah Dance Ensemble, Ernesta Corvino’s Dance Circle Company and The Louis Johnson Dance Theatre. Lonne Moretton, MFA
Randy Mugleston, MFA Randy Mugleston is currently the Technical Director for the Department of Theatre and Dance at Montclair State University. Mugleston has an undergraduate degree from Utah State University and a graduate degree in Theatre Technology from Indiana State University. Over the years, he has designed many productions at Montclair State, as well as served as the Technical Director for most of the theatre department’s productions. He has also designed lights “ Off-Broadway” in New York City and sets and lights for several dance spaces. NO
Debra Bergsma Otte, MFA Debra Bergsma Otte (Program Coordinator for Production and Design) is a professor of design at Montclair State University. She teaches in both the Fashion Studies Program and the Theatre and Dance Department. Her design credits include costume designs for many regional, Off-Broadway and University productions, television, dance, puppet design for Henson Associates and industrial design work for Parker Davis, Chrysler and Burger King. In 1999 and again in 2005, she was honored to receive the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion for her work with the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She holds an MFA in Design from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. Daniel O’Driscoll P
Jane T. Peterson, Ph.D. Jane Peterson teaches theatre history, play analysis, and criticism in both the undergraduate and graduate programs at MSU. She is the author of the 30 dramaturgical essay series “Plays in Performance” for the 2009 edition of The Norton Anthology of Drama (2009). Her research in American Theatre includes women (contemporary playwrights, Cheryl Crawford), scenographer Robert Edmund Jones, and the representation of Muslims in American drama from the late 18th century to 1950. In addition to writing Women Playwrights of Diversity, she has authored numerous articles in books, journals and encyclopedias. Jane Peterson is also a professional dramaturg who has worked in many theatrical capacities at theatres across the country and in the film industry. QR
Linda Roberts Linda Roberts has been on the faculty of Montclair State University since 1971. In 2001, she was awarded the Alumni Association Outstanding Faculty Award. Over the years, she has developed and taught a number of courses and helped to establish degree programs for the University. She has also been active at the state level in developing teacher certification for dance. Professor Roberts currently teaches Dance History, Improvisation, Dance Appreciation, Methods and Materials for Teaching Dance and a section of the New Student Seminar course for dance majors. As a leading dancer in the DANCES/Janet Soares Company from 1971-1982 Ms. Roberts performed in several New York City venues including ChoreoConcerts at The New School for Social Research, Dance Uptown, the American Theatre Laboratory, Dance Theatre Workshop, and The Little Orchestra Society concerts at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. Under the auspices of the DANCES/Janet Soares Company, and sponsored by Young Audiences, Ms. Roberts served as an artist in residence in New York City Schools from 1975-1980. After leaving the company, from 1987-1992, Ms.Roberts gave solo performances of reconstructed Baroque dances from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Erhard M. Rom, MFA ERHARD ROM (set designer) is currently the head of the Scenic Design area in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Montclair State University. He has designed settings for more than 150 productions throughout North America, including the recent Canadian premiere of John Adams' opera NIXON IN CHINA. His designs have been featured in the Prague Quadrennial International Design Exhibition. His work includes numerous engagements with Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Virginia Opera, Wolf Trap Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. His work has also been seen frequently at Syracuse Stage and Geva Theatre Center in New York State. Other Theatre Companies he has worked for include: Indiana Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Interact Theatre, and the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington DC. He has also designed for Opera Cleveland, Kentucky Opera, Ordway Music Theatre, Opera Festival of New Jersey, Curtis Institute of Music, San Francisco Opera Center, Oklahoma Mozart Festival and for ABC Television. Mr. Rom received his BA in Music from the University of Washington, and his M.F.A. in Design from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Mr. Rom is a member of the United Scenic Artists, Local 829. S
Deborah Saivetz, Ph.D. Deborah Saivetz coordinates the Theatre Studies program in the Department of Theatre and Dance. She has directed and developed new work with New York and regional theaters such as The Foundry, Rattlestick Playwright’s Theater, Ensemble Studio Theater, New Dramatists, Voice & Vision, Red Bull Theater, INTAR, the Goodman, the Guthrie, Long Wharf and Seattle Rep. Her directing credits include Javier Malpica’s Our Dad Is in Atlantis (Working Theater), Sarah Ruhl’s Late:A Cowboy Song (Clubbed Thumb), Catherine Filloux’s Passion.com (HB Playwrights’ Theater), Carmen Rivera’s The Next Cycle (Women’s Project & Productions), Caridad Svich’s Twelve Ophelias (Baruch Performing Arts Center), and Elizabeth Egloff’s The Nose (Drama League of New York). Regional theater directing credits include Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas’s Bird in the Hand (Hartford Stage), Svich’s Perdita Gracia and Egloff’s Phaedra (New York Stage and Film/Powerhouse Theater), her own adaptation of Donald Barthelme’s Novel The King (ShakespeareTheatre of New Jersey), and Wallace Shawn’s Marie and Bruce (Parallax Theater, Chicago). For the Lark Play Development Center’s U.S./Mexico Playwright Exchange, she directed Irela de Viller’s Quetzalcoatl Puddle, Cutberto López’s Yamaha 300, Verónica Musalem’s Adela and Juana, and Jorge Celaya’s Van Gogh in New York. She directed the Spanish-language translation of Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House for Mexico City’s DramaFest ‘08, and is collaborating with the Oaxaca-based Teatro Cuauhpanco on a Spanish-language production of Ruhl's Eurydice. Saivetz is a New Georges Affiliate Artist, an alumna of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, a Drama League Directing Fellow, and was a 2004–2005 Resident Director at New Dramatists. She is the author of An Event in Space: JoAnne Akalaitis in Rehearsal. Diann Sichel, MFA Nicole Smith Maxine Steinman TCindy (Loewus) Thole
Suzanne Trauth, Ph.D. Dr. Suzanne Trauth is a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Montclair State University where she coordinates the B.F.A. Acting program. Most recently, she co-created and directed Katrina: the K Word at Montclair State and directed staged readings of the play at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and Drew University. Other productions directed at Montclair State include She Stoops to Conquer, The Grapes of Wrath, Nicholas Nickleby, Picnic, Extremities, Laramie Project, Flyin’ West, and House of Bernarda Alba. For TheatreFest, she directed The Middle Ages, served as Associate Producer, and founded the experimental Next Stage. She co-produced and directed productions at the Ensemble Studio Theatre (NYC), the Whole Theatre, and 12 Miles West. As part of a global initiative for the College of the Arts, she directed The Crucible for the Theatre-on-Podol in the Ukraine. She has co-authored Sonia Moore and American Acting Training and Producing Musical Theatre, and co-edited Katrina on Stage: Five Plays About Hurricane Katrina. She has also written journal articles on acting theory and Soviet theatre. Dr. Trauth served as Assistant Artistic Director and faculty member at the Sonia Moore Studio and performed for the American Stanislavski Theatre. She holds degrees from the University of Dayton and Bowling Green State University. UVWKim Whittam, MFA XYZDiane Zaremba, MFA |
