This page contains professional profiles and contact information for Theatre Program faculty and staff.
You can also find Dance Program Faculty.
From off campus, dial 484-664- plus the four-digit extension. If no number is listed, please call the main Theatre & Dance number, 484-664-3335.
Theatre Faculty
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Associate Professor: Acting, Voice & Speech, Theatre History & Theory Mr. Dwyer is an actor, writer and director who has devised and performed in new experimental theatre at venues throughout the United States, including Velocity Dance Center (Seattle), The Painted Bride (Philadelphia), Project Artaud (San Francisco), Horizon Theatre Company (Atlanta), the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, and many others. His original full-length works for the stage range from dance theatre epics such as World Headquarters and Caw (both with Charles O. Anderson), to new musicals such as Lures & Snares (with Beth Schachter and Mike Krisukas), as well as community-engaged devised performances closer to home, such as Then Athena (with Allentown Public Theatre). Mr. Dwyer is an acting-styles teacher with specializations ranging from classical lyric performance (such as Shakespeare) to the contemporary realist acting methodologies of Sanford Meisner. He is also a teacher of voice & speech specializing in the work of Kristin Linklater and Arthur Lessac. At Muhlenberg, he served as the faculty director of the Sedehi Diversity Project from 2008 to 2019, and was the recipient of the 2018 Paul C. Empie Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching. His scholarly writings on queerness, voice and acting have appeared in leading academic journals such as Theatre Journal and The Voice & Speech Review. dwyer@muhlenberg.edu | x3786 |
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Charles Richter, Director of Theatre Professor: Directing, Theatre History, and Theory Mr. Richter is the director of theatre at Muhlenberg College, where he has taught and directed for the past 40 years. His productions of The Good Woman of Setzuan, The School for Scandal, and Spring Awakening were selected for presentation at American College Theatre Festival regional festivals. He has directed over 80 productions at Muhlenberg , including Life’s a Dream, Cabaret, The Pirates of Penzance, Wonderful Town, The Mikado, West Side Story, A Chorus Line, Hamlet, and On the Town. He is a founding artistic director of the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre, former artistic director of the Pennsylvania Stage Company, and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. His productions for the Muhlenberg summer stage also include: Candide, Annie Get Your Gun, Hairspray, 42nd Street, Anything Goes, Hello, Dolly!, My Fair Lady and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He has also directed for the New York City Opera Education Department, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, New York’s Ensemble Studio Theatre and Theatre Three in Dallas. He holds an MFA in directing from Southern Methodist University, and a certificate in Drama from the University of Bristol, England. Charles is a fellow of the Society for Values in Higher Education, a Fulbright Scholar, and a Danforth Fellow. In the spring of 2018, as artist-in-residence at the University of Music and Art of the City of Vienna in Austria, he directed two choral operas by Jean Berger. richter@muhlenberg.edu | x3330 |
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Curtis Dretsch, Director of Design & Technical Theatre Professor: Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design In addition to his more than 100 designs for Muhlenberg College Theatre and Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre over the past 36 years, Mr. Dretsch’s designs have been seen in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Dallas, Edinburgh, and London. He has designed for the Dallas Shakespeare Festival, Terry Beck Dance Troupe, and Pennsylvania Stage Company, where he did scenery and/or lights 41 times over 12 years. During the 1990s he served Muhlenberg as Dean of the College for Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs. dretsch@muhlenberg.edu | x3739 |
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Visiting Assistant Professor: Acting, Voice & Speech Mr. Ainslie has been a professional actor and teacher for 25 years. He has appeared on a number of television shows, including iCarly, House MD, and House of Cards, acting opposite Emmy and Oscar winners (for more info: rogerainslie.com). On stage, he won an LA-Weekly Award for his portrayal of George W. Bush in the West Coast premiere of the off-Broadway hit musical Bush is Bad. A graduate of Second City Conservatory, Mr. Ainslie has extensive experience in improvisational theatre in Chicago and New York City. He is a founding member of the critically-acclaimed Chicago theatre company Barrel of Monkeys, which adapts the writing of underserved school children into sketch comedy performed for the writers and their peers. As a teacher, he has taught acting, voice, and improvisation at University of Virginia and Rowan University, as well as various private institutions. He is a Certified Trainer in Lessac Voice & Body work and has also studied with Catherine Fitzmaurice. |
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Part-Time Lecturer: Stage Management, Arts Accessibility Ms. Bien has served as the department's general manager since 2006. She returns to her native Allentown from Boston, where she worked as executive assistant to the chief operating officer of the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. She also held positions as theatre manager and access coordinator at the Wang. She has served as marketing associate for Zoellner Center for the Arts, at Lehigh University; box office manager and director of marketing for the AmeriCulture Arts Festival; marketing and public relations intern for the Williamstown Theatre Festival; and communications and publications assistant for Hartwick College. Jess has also held production and administrative positions for events at Kutztown University, Civic Theatre, and Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre. Jess holds a certificate in Arts Administration from the University of Massachusetts and is also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher. She is the recipient of the 2018 Arts Ovation Award for Service to the Arts. bien@muhlenberg.edu | x3087 |
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Associate Professor: Acting Ms. Cate is an award-winning actor who has appeared on Broadway in An Ideal Husband, directed by Sir Peter Hall, and regionally in Blithe Spirit (Portland Stage), An Ideal Husband (Pioneer), All My Sons (American Stage), and Arms and the Man (Asolo), in addition to numerous New York Theatre credits. Ms. Cate has performed in two world premiere productions at Philly Fringe: Judith/Dresses/Joe, an evening of avant-garde masterworks, at the Walnut Street Theatre, and Then Athena, a devised work about women, war, and wisdom, at the Drake Theatre. She is currently appearing in the web series The Other F Word, which can be found on thegirlfriend.com. Ms. Cate also played the deliciously evil Janice Maxwell on As the World Turns, has appeared in over 20 national television and radio commercials, and works as an audio book narrator. In addition to performing, Ms. Cate also creates and directs her own theatre, including HENRY, a three-play adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry VI tetralogy. She is a Stanislavski-based acting technique teacher with an emphasis on the role of the body in the actor's process, both on stage and on camera. hollycateactor.com hcate@muhlenberg.edu | x4019 |
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Part-Time Lecturer: Acting and Stage Combat Mr. Chin is a professional actor who is part of the AEA, AFTRA, and SAG as well as a sanctioned master instructor and choreographer with the Society of American Fighting Directors. He serves as fight director in residence for both The White Horse and Pan Asian Rep in New York City. He has taught, choreographed, and consulted on Broadway as well as for The Mint, Murder To Go, Theatreworks USA, La MaMa ETC, The National Asian American Theatre Company, The Public, The Vineyard Theatre, Juilliard, New York University, Henry Street Settlement, The Drama League, The Classical Theatre of Harlem, and the New York Renaissance Faire. |
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Assistant Professor: Costume Design Ms. Lustig is a costume designer whose work has appeared across the U.S. and was featured in the United States Exhibit at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial. Favorite projects include The Happiness Lecture created by the incomparable Bill Irwin at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Page-To-Stage version of I Am My Own Wife starring Jefferson Mays and directed by playwright Doug Wright at the La Jolla Playhouse, the original workshop production of Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo at SUNY Purchase, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona directed by Eric Tucker at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Rebecca was the Assistant Costume Designer on the North American productions of Billy Elliot the Musical (Broadway and National Tours) and Assistant/Associate Designer on the Hal Prince directed productions LoveMusik on Broadway, Paradise Found in London, and Candide at the New York City Opera. Rebecca holds an MFA in Design from the University of California, San Diego. rebeccalustig.com |
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Part-Time Lecturer: Acting Mr. McKenna is a theater artist (actor, director, producer) and educator. He specializes in devised work, physical theatre styles, facilitating structures of play for learning, integrating art with academic curricula, and developing relationships and civic dialogue through theater. He was a full-time resident ensemble member at Bethlehem’s Touchstone Theatre from 1986 to 2008, and artistic/producing director from 1995. Nationally recognized community-scaled highlights include Steelbound, a co-production with Cornerstone Theatre, and Don Quixote of Bethlehem. He has co-created and performed in over 40 devised theatre works. Script-based acting credits include: Stones in His Pockets, Twelfth Night, Waiting for Godot, Frankenstein, Fool for Love and The Glass Menagerie. He has participated in over 75 arts-in-education residencies in pre-K to 12th-grade classrooms throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Service history includes the national board of the Network of Ensemble Theaters, peer review panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the New Jersey Arts Council. Mark serves as secretary for the Bethlehem Chapter of PIAA Basketball Officials. |
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Assistant Professor: Directing, Performance Studies, Theatre History & Theory Dr. Moore has directed at theatres in New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco and Ireland, and is a founding member of The Proper Villains Theatre Co. He has taught courses in directing, devising, theatre history and theory at Stanford University as well as courses in acting and playwriting for the University of New Orleans. His current artistic work centers on group devising practices and methods of physical training, both of which played a key role in his production of Agamemnon at Muhlenberg College. His scholarly interests include the avant-garde, ecological theatre and performance theory. |
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Professor: Directing, Performance Studies, and Theatre History Dr. Peck has directed over 60 productions of plays, operas, and musicals at theatres throughout the United States. He has published numerous scholarly articles in academic journals and in books from university presses. His current research focuses on the history and practice of directing. He is currently Series Editor of Great North American Theatre Directors, an eight volume history of the art form of theatre direction under contract with Bloomsbury Methuen. He served as editor of Theatre Topics and book review editor of Theatre Journal. At Muhlenberg, he has received the Class of '32 Research Professorship, the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Williams Award for Research by a Junior Faculty Member, and the First-Year Advising Award. He chaired the Department of Theatre & Dance from 2006 to 2013. In addition to Muhlenberg, Dr. Peck has taught at the Yale School of Drama, the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and the Playwrights Horizons Theater School. jimpeck@muhlenberg.edu | x3582 |
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Visiting Assistant Professor: Performance Studies and Theatre History Dr. Philbrick is a performer and writer based in Brooklyn. He has recently performed original work in New York at Abrons Arts Center, BRIC, Dixon Place, Grey Art Gallery, SculptureCenter, and NYU Skirball, and his writing has been published in The Drama Review, Movement Research Performance Journal, PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art, Studies in Gender and Sexuality, and Women and Performance: a journal of feminist theory. Dr. Philbrick holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University, where his dissertation received the Monroe Lippman Memorial Award for Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation. Before joining the faculty at Muhlenberg, Philbrick taught in the MFA program in Performance + Performance Studies at Pratt Institute and in the Performance Studies program at New York University. ethanphilbrick.com |
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Visiting Lecturer: Theatre Mr. Reimer is a sixth-year PhD Candidate in the Joint Ph.D. Program of the Department of Theatre & Dance at UC San Diego and the Department of Drama at UC Irvine. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre with a minor in Asian studies at Muhlenberg. Prior to starting his Ph.D., Mr. Reimer lived abroad in Japan for over seven years, during which time he worked primarily with Tokyo International Players (TIP) as a director, performer, and member of their Board of Governors. With TIP, he partnered with Shochiku Corporation and playwright Gary Perlman to create an original English-language kabuki adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Mr. Reimer's research interests include traditional and modern Japanese performance, Meisner-based acting techniques, and cross-cultural theatre. He is specifically interested in interculturalized Japanese theatre and its relevance among international perspectives of queer performance. |
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Visiting Assistant Professor: Acting, Physical Theatre, Commedia dell'Arte, and Experimental Styles Mr. Richardson has directed and performed solo and ensemble devised plays for arts centers, theaters, and festivals nationally and internationally. He appeared in China at the International Comedy Art Festival and played with Squonk Opera in the Broadway touring production of Bigsmorgasbordwunderwerk. Richardson also appeared in the play Fusions by Nic Ularu at La MaMa. Richardson studied with Jacques Lecoq in Paris, is a certified Essential Somatics Exercise Coach, and has a teacher’s certificate from the Michael Chekhov Association (MICHA). Richardson has taught actors at Adams State University, Ohio University, University of Michigan, Virginia Commonwealth University, Point Park Conservatory, and The (Very) Physical Comedy Institute. He has coached and consulted for theatre companies including Arena Stage, 500 Clown, Strawdog Theatre, and Next Theatre Lab. He is best known as the first person in the 21st century to have new silent movies shown in major motion pictures theaters. www.Physical.Actor |
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Assistant Professor: Theatre and Performance Studies Dr. Robles-Moreno teaches courses on Performance, Race, Gender, Memory, and Politics in the Americas. In addition to her academic background, she studied theatre arts in the Club de Teatro de Lima, as well as improvisational theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques. Her doctoral research focuses on theatre groups of “creación colectiva” in Latin America — particularly in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador — exploring their networked practices as strategies of political survival, from a combined perspective of Performance Studies, and Memory and Affect Studies. As a member of the Women Mobilizing Memory research group at the Center for the Study of Social Difference at Columbia University, she has studied Latin American Antigones’ role in post-conflict contexts. She has published in Latin American Theatre Review, Contemporary Theatre Review, Hispanic Issues Online, and Conjunto. Her dissertation, "Becoming Collective: Relational Cartographies of creación colectiva in Latin America," was awarded the Deena Burton Memorial Award for Outstanding Dissertation Research. |
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Professor: Acting, Directing, and History & Theory Dr. Schachter has directed at New York Theatre Workshop, Second Stage, The Public Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and The Vineyard Theatre, among others. She has directed world premieres of plays by Suzan-Lori Parks, Doug Wright, Theresa Rebeck, and Mac Wellman. She also co-wrote and directed the musical Lures and Snares with Troy Dwyer. Dr. Schachter is formerly the director of Muhlenberg’s Women’s Studies Program. Her areas of expertise include contemporary American avant-garde theatre, feminist theatre and theory, African-American drama, and Jewish ethnicity studies. Before coming to Muhlenberg, Dr. Schachter taught at Princeton University, Brooklyn College, City College, and UCSD. She recently directed the world premiere of Brighde Mullins's The Bourgeois Pig at Muhlenberg College, as well as two staged readings for The Blank Theatre (Los Angeles). bethschachter@muhlenberg.edu | x3558 |
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Visiting Assistant Professor: Directing and Acting Mr. Singer established The Larry Singer Studios in 2006, where he teaches professional actors in New York City. He received a B.F.A. from Boston University in 1977 and made his Broadway debut in the comedy Gemini in 1980. He then worked Off-Broadway, landing the lead in Andora, by Max Frisch, as well as roles at Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Circle Rep Mr. Singer’s acting career has included work in regional theatres, commercials, television, and film. In 1988 he began his work as a teacher and director. He has taught at New York University (founding board member of CAP 21), AADA, AMDA, and the prestigious Michael Howard Studios. In 2002 he joined the faculty of the Columbia University M.F.A. |
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Part-Time Lecturer: Acting the Song Philadelphia-based actor and director James Stabp maintains a body of work that spans traditional musical theatre, premieres of contemporary new works, and uniquely curated projects of multidisciplinary theatre. Recent engagements include directing assistant to Gina Lamparella on Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's (PSF) production of Crazy for You, Younger Brother in PSF's production of Ragtime, and Albert Lennox in The Secret Garden at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia. James holds an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory. There, he had the great privilege to perform and work closely with Adam Guettel and Tina Landau on new material for their musical, Floyd Collins, as well as devising a song cycle for his thesis based on the religious undertones and poetic prose in the alternative-rock album Babel by the band Mumford & Sons. Social media: @jdstabp. |
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Visiting Assistant Professor: Acting Jim VanValen spent nine years at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa where he was an associate professor of theatre and head of the acting program. He has taught courses in scene and monologue study, voice and movement, Meisner, and auditioning and careers. He studied Shakespeare and voice and text training with Patsy Rodenburg OBE and received his Meisner Teaching Certification through the True Acting Institute. As a professional actor, Jim spent three years with the Barter Theatre and has performed throughout the country in such regional theatres as The Fulton Opera House, The Bread Loaf Acting Ensemble, Florida Rep, Riverside Theatre in Iowa, Riverside Theatre in Florida, Iowa Summer Rep, Connecticut Theatre Festival, and the Old Creamery Theatre. jimvanvalen.com jamesvanvalen@muhlenberg.edu | x4393 |
Theatre & Dance Staff
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General Manager Ms. Bien has served as the department's general manager since 2006. She returns to her native Allentown from Boston, where she worked as executive assistant to the chief operating officer of the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. She also held positions as theatre manager and access coordinator at the Wang. She has served as marketing associate for Zoellner Center for the Arts, at Lehigh University; box office manager and director of marketing for the AmeriCulture Arts Festival; marketing and public relations intern for the Williamstown Theatre Festival; and communications and publications assistant for Hartwick College. Jess has also held production and administrative positions for events at Kutztown University, Civic Theatre, and Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre. Jess holds a certificate in Arts Administration from the University of Massachusetts and is also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher. In addition to her administrative role, she teachers courses in Stage Management and Accessibility in the Arts. She is the recipient of the 2018 Arts Ovation Award for Service to the Arts. bien@muhlenberg.edu | x3087 |
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Costume Shop Manager Ms. Cook has been a professional costume technician since 2006. Most recently she was the craft shop manager for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Prior to her work in St. Louis, she spent four seasons with the Santa Fe Opera. She did graduate work in costume design and technology at the University of Virginia from 2008 to 2011, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with a concentration in gender and sexuality from Ithaca College in 2008. Ms. Cook is a collector of new crafts and skills with enthusiasm for personal sewing projects, knitting, crocheting, fabric printing and embroidery. ccook@muhlenberg.edu | x3589 |
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Assistant Technical Director Mr. Covell's responsibilities include assisting with all scenic builds for department productions, and supervising and teaching work study, stagecraft and volunteer students in shop safety and construction. His professional experience includes freelance designer and sound engineer at Fitchburg State College, Bay Street Theatre, and AmeriCulture Arts Festival. He served for two years as resident scenic and lighting designer, facility manager, and technical director at Civic Theatre of Allentown. Most recently he was the project manager for Great Eastern Seating, restoring and installing theatre seats in the tri-state area, including work at the Apollo Theatre. ecovell@muhlenberg.edu | x3644 |
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Assistant to the Costume Shop Manager & First Hand Ms. Evans Gartley has more than 20 years experience working at Muhlenberg as a costume designer, shop manager, stage manager, stitcher and carpenter. She also co-teaches the costume techniques section of the stagecraft course. Ms. Evans Gartley’s responsibilities in the costume shop include assisting with all builds/rentals for all Theatre & Dance Department productions as well as supervising and teaching work study, stagecraft and volunteer students in costume construction. She also coordinates and instructs student volunteers on wardrobe crews. Her professional experience includes The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., as well as Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, Conn., and Allan Albert, New York City. Meg taught Spanish in a K-8 elementary school before rejoining the Muhlenberg costume shop in 2012. mgartley@muhlenberg.edu | x3589 |
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Technical Director Mr. Gelb's professional experience includes five seasons with Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre, most recently as Technical Director in 1997. Design credits include lighting Quilters for the Berks Festival Theatre, and lighting and scenery for The Nina Variations at The Theatre Outlet. Other productions include Bad Girls, Anything Goes, and A Night Divided, as well as various one-act plays and dance concerts. He spent eight years in the professional lighting industry, working with architects, consulting engineers, and theatre consultants on lighting system designs; notable projects include Trinity Church in New York City and Microsoft's Productivity of the Future exhibit. He is a former IATSE stage technician, and he currently serves on the board of directors for The Theatre Outlet in Allentown. dgelb@muhlenberg.edu | x3332 |
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Resident Costume Designer & Stitcher Ms. Gurst's costume credits include Big Love, The Possibilities, Polaroid Stories, On the Town, Stop Kiss, The Winter’s Tale, and Dance Emerge for Muhlenberg College; Psycho Beach Party and Belle Reprieve for The Theatre Outlet; and Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre productions of Avenue Q, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Seussical, A Year with Frog and Toad, and the world premieres of Gruff! and Grimm! Previously, she has worked at the Creede Repertory Theatre in Creede, Colo. In her spare time, Lex is known as Minerva Steel and volunteers with the Lehigh Valley’s premier roller derby league, The Lehigh Valley Roller Girls. alexis.gurst@muhlenberg.edu | x3589 |
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Former Office Coordinator Kiyaana now serves as Muhlenberg's Interim Assistant Director for Multicultural Life. She can be reached at extension 4006 and email kiyaanajones@muhlenberg.edu. |
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Props Master, Scenic Artist Ms. Miller has served as charge artist at the Barn Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Music Theatre Wichita, and Lehigh University. She has also served as Props Supervisor and Scenic Charge Artist for two seasons at Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre. |
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Marketing & Development Manager Mr. Snyder served for 11 years as managing director of the Civic Theatre of Allentown. In that position, he developed marketing and communications strategies that increased attendance, personal contributions, and corporate and foundation support for the theatre, helping to position Civic as a community arts center for the region. Prior to beginning work at Muhlenberg in 2010, he spent three years as director of alumni communications for Lehigh University. Mr. Snyder has also served as production stage manager and designed sound, props, and projections for numerous theatre productions. scottsnyder@muhlenberg.edu | x3693 |
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Theatre Technician Mr. Theisen designs lights and other scenic elements for many of the theatre and dance productions on the Muhlenberg Theatre & Dance mainstage. He has had experience as technical director in the York Little Theatre and the Lincoln Amphitheatre, and as a free-lance designer in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. ptheisen@muhlenberg.edu | x3119 |