Faculty & Staff

BFA in Production and BFA in Design, Texas Christian University, 2008
MFA in Stage Management, University of Iowa, 2014

Leigh'Ann is the Stage Management Professor at Texas State University. She currently works as a stage manager with Ballet Austin and ZACH Theatre. Previously, she has had...

Ana Baer Carrillo is a Mexican-American video-choreographer living in the US since 2000. The international scope of her presentations, the diversity of the forms in which she works, and her frequent practice of collaboration are evidence of her twenty-first century, transitional, interdisciplinary contributions...

Born in NYC, raised and educated in Colorado and then back to NYC for a career on Broadway. Passed through Los Angeles for a few years in the Television industry then to Austin, Texas where I direct and stage manage new plays and perform in Shakespeare and Sondheim musicals. I teach Voice and Diction...

Aaron Brown is currently an Assistant Professor and Head of Musical Theatre at Texas State University. He holds an MFA in Directing from Baylor University and a BM in Music Theatre from Oklahoma City University. Some of Aaron’s past directing credits include the world premiere of ShaWanna Rivon’s You’re...

Kaysie Seitz Brown is an educator, choreographer, and dancer based in Austin, TX and an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance at Texas State University. She holds an MFA in Dance from Case Western University in Cleveland, OH and a Bachelor in Exercise and Sports Science from Texas...

Emmy, Peabody and Gracie award-winning producer and writer Elizabeth (Betty) Buckley is a native Texan with over 25 years of experience in film, television, new media and animation.

She has BFA in Broadcast-Film Arts from SMU, and studied in the Dramatic Writing Graduate Program at Texas State...

Susan Busa Leshner has written for and optioned screenplays Including CROSSING TO THE PROMISED LAND, REUNION, THE JON BENET RAMSEY STORY, to NBC, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Cosgrove-Meurer Productions, Highway 101, and Go Dog! Creative. Her comedy short, Sleepover, was a festival selection at the...

Dr. Byrne has a PhD in Theatre Studies from the City Univeristy of New York, Graduate Center, a MA in Theatre from Northwestern University, and BAs in Theatre and English from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Jacqui Calloway graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College and has studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop, and the Relativity School. She is a SAG-AFTRA member and spent time working in Los Angeles, where she appeared on Rosewood (FOX), The Inspectors...

Kiira’s Broadway performance credits include Follies (2011 revival), Anything Goes (2011 revival), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012 revival), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (2008-09), and No No Nanette and Stairway to Paradise for Encores! at New York City Center. Her domestic tour credits include Fame...

Julio is the Head of Musical Theatre Dance. Native Spanish and fluent English speaker. He recieved his BFA in dance from The Ailey School/Fordham University and MFA in musical theatre from San Diego State University. He has spent the past 20 years as a performer, producer, director, choreographer and...

Michelle Dahlenburg is an Austin-based audio storyteller, performer, and educator. She teaches Theatre in the Community, Intermediate Acting, Creative Drama, and Training the Teaching Artist at Texas State University.

Michelle is the former Artistic Director of Conspire Theatre, where...

Tom is a Co-Head of Musical Theatre: Head of Production and New Works, and holds a Master’s degree in Directing from Texas State University, where he serves as Co-Head of Musical Theatre and Head of Production and New Works. His directing credits at Texas State include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber...

Cheri Prough DeVol is an American scenic and lighting designer who employs theatrical forms to synthesize her passion for music, storytelling, truth, and beauty. Inspired by both physical and metaphorical action in the source material, she creates sculptural forms that evoke emotion and provoke...

Roxanne Gage has celebrated many years of experience as a dance artist, choreographer, educator, and dance adjudicator. She holds a BA in Dance from the University of Texas at Austin and an Associate of Fine Arts from Kilgore College. She is a former Kilgore College Rangerette Lieutenant and Swingster...

Misti Galvan is a movement artist and educator living in the Austin/San Antonio area. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in choreography through Wilson College, and holds a BFA in Dance & BA in English from Texas State University.
Her classical background includes Modern, Ballet, Jazz, and Tap...

Kevin Gates holds an MA in Theatre from Texas State and a JD from the University of Houston Law Center.

Ms. George is a professional actress and has been a member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA for 35 years. She hails from Albuquerque, NM and began her acting career after graduating Magna Cum Laude from The University of Utah in Theatre with a Performance emphasis. After working and teaching for many years, she...

Monica Pasut is a costume designer and technician with over 25 years of professional experience in live theatre and dance. She began her career as a wardrobe attendant, costumer assistant and craft artist for the creative costuming department of Walt Disney World, Florida. From there, she was a dresser...

Kenya Gillespie is a Japanese American filmmaker and composer based in Austin, Texas. His narrative short film JEREMIAH received its international premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival (Cinéfondation) where it was nominated for the short film Queer Palm. It won Best Score at the Brooklyn Horror Film...

Kate Glasheen is an actor, voiceover artist, dialect coach, and voice & speech specialist. She teaches vocal health and production, verse and scansion, text analysis, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), Voiceover, and Dialects. Professionally, she has coached at major regional theaters including...

Brandon Gonzalez holds a BFA in Sculpture and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Dramatic Arts where he worked between the fields of visual arts, choreography, and performance. His investigations of the body as a resource for artistic practice led him to develop works across a variety of artistic mediums. Currently,...

I have trained and worked in both the fields of Music Direction and Performance for nearly fifteen years. Throughout my university education at Texas State University and West Virginia University, I have pursued mastery in both Performance and Music Direction. Outside of education, I have worked professionally...

As Artistic Director of Shay Ishii Dance Company and Dancestry, Shay Hartung seeks to immerse her audience in a kinesthetic and aesthetic experience of sensation, light and sound. Her extensive background in the work of Erick Hawkins has instilled a deep appreciation for artistic heritage and inspired...

Yesenia Garcia Herrington is an actress, educator, and entrepreneur. A Rio Grande Valley native, she is a graduate of Southwestern University and The University of Texas at Austin MFA Acting Program. Her film and television credits include the award-winning documentary Horton Foote: The Road to Home,...

Taniel Kilajian is an Armenian-American independent filmmaker that experiments in both fiction and documentary mediums. His films have screened and won awards at festivals both domestic and international, including SXSW, Soho International Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and...

Lauren Lane Head of Acting
In her ten years in Los Angeles, Lauren Lane starred in three award winning television series; The Nanny, L.A. Law and Hunter. Winning the LA Critics award, Austin Critics Circle award and multiple B Iden Payne awards represent the critical acclaim of her extensive and continuing...

Ben Langenkamp is a Texas native who has produced a broad range of media for film, television and interactive formats and platforms. His professional background in illustration, storyboarding, animation (classical, stop motion and CGI), background and concept painting, environment and level art...

Huay-Bing Law is a director and cinematographer whose films have earned an HBO APA Visionary Award, Princess Grace Award, and played in festivals worldwide. His short film, JUNE, about a Chinese immigrant’s experience in the segregated South, premiered on HBO. His work as a cinematographer has screened...

Professor Maines has been the Director of the School of Theatre, Dance, and Film since 2020. She specializes in theatrical lighting design and is the recipient of the National Partners in American Theatre Mentor Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival as well as Presidential Distinction...

Dr. Ana Martínez holds a doctoral degree in Theatre Studies from CUNY Graduate Center, an MA in Scenography from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, and an Architecture degree from Universidad Anahuac in Mexico.

As a scholar, she integrates a knowledge of performance...

Johnny McAllister is an award-winning writer, director and producer from Donegal, Ireland via the Middle East and elsewhere. He has written on over a dozen film and TV projects for the likes of Warner Brothers and Starz and have played at festivals such as Cannes, Sundance and SXSW. Johnny co-wrote and...

Amanda McCorkle is an award-winning choreographer, performer and teacher from Austin, Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance from Texas State University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Texas Woman’s University.

Amanda has performed the works of talented choreographers...

Tobie Minor is a seasoned professional in the world of theatre arts, specializing in both acting and stage combat. With a BA in Theatre Arts from New Mexico State University and 23 years of experience as an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, Tobie currently serves...

Sachin is a Directors Guild of America Student Award-winning filmmaker whose work has been screened at prestigious film festivals such as Hot Docs, Raindance, EnergaCAMERIMAGE, and Kraków. He finished his MFA in Film & Media Production from The University of Texas at Austin. His short documentary film,...

Michelle Nance, Professor and Director of Dance at Texas State University, has enjoyed many years of devising dance works collaboratively with colleagues and students; as well as performing in the U.S. and abroad. Michelle has studied and taught the technique of Erick Hawkins extensively, and served...

Michelle Ney has designed scenery and costumes for numerous theatre and opera companies, including ZACH Theatre, The Colony Theatre and The Theatre at Boston Court (Los Angeles), Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Repertory Theatre, Austin Shakespeare, and Austin Lyric Opera....

Andy Park is an educator, artistic director, stage director, and puppeteer. Andy is the Head of Directing at Texas State University and Associate Professor of Theatre. Prior to coming to Texas State, he was a faculty member at the University of Southern Mississippi (2023-2024), University of Nebraska-Lincoln...

Playwright and Dramaturge. I completed my undergraduate degree at Texas State University and my postgraduate at the University of Glasgow.

Jonathan "JayWAN" Pattiwael is an Indonesian immigrant dancer, teacher, and choreographer from the global Hip-Hop civilization who creates cross disciplinary performances by remixing their artistic practice in breaking, hip-hop, house, indigenous dances, experimental theatre and contemporary forms to...

Laura Perez is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and production consultant committed to telling powerful stories rooted in underrepresented communities and cultures. Leveraging her law degree and production expertise, she approaches moviemaking with strategic insight, viewing the inevitable...

Jackson is an Artist | Educator who currently coordinates the voice line for Texas State University’s BFA Musical Theater program. Since attending Texas State for Musical Theater Jackson received his certification and master certification in One Voice and has taught privately for 11 years. He’s helped...

Bryan Poyser is a two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee and has screened his four feature films at major film festivals like Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Slamdance and BFI London. He’s also made numerous short films as well as projects for Comedy Central, the USA Network, Ridley Scott Associates and...

Allison Price is an excavator of the human heart; focusing on works that are contemporary, intimate, and have a bite; with a specialization in new work development, opera, and performance elevating the female voice. She has been awarded the Kennedy Center SDC Directing Fellowship, the WildWind New Play...

Aimee Radics (she/her) is a music director, conductor, pianist and educator currently serving as Head of Music Direction for the BFA Musical Theatre Program at Texas State University. She teaches Singing for the Actor, a musical theatre performance course, and teaches collaboratively as in-class...

MFA --RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
BFA --STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Richard recently played George Pappas on David E. Kelley's BIG SHOT with John Stamos and Yvette Nicole Brown on Disney+. Later this year you can see him in the feature film THE LONG GAME which won the audience award at SXSW as...

Melissa started in theatre at a young age in school and community theatre, and she began to pursue it seriously in undergraduate school at Troy University. After taking some time to pursue work in film and television, Melissa attended Texas State University and earned a Master of Arts Degree in Theatre...

Danielle Roos is a director, theatre maker, and teaching artist with an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University. She is an Assistant Professor of Directing and a member of the Graduate Faculty at Texas State University. Danielle is an Associate Member of SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers...

Syd has penned various stage productions in both Chicago, Texas and Los Angeles. He also wrote and performed his one man show Brother’s Tellin’ which opened for Lily Tomlin’s show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe in Los Angeles. Syd was then selected for the Mark...

Colin is the Assistant Professor of Technical Production and Head of the BFA Technical Production Program at Texas State University where he serves as the department Technical Director. Originally from Indianapolis, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Recording Arts from Indiana University’s Jacobs School...

Jack Smith is a costume designer for Theater, Musical Theater and Dance as well as a teacher and costume historian. His career has spanned from educational theater to regional theaters around the United States. As a costume designer he loves discovering the intimate details of a character and collaborating...

Neil Patrick Stewart is a proud member of the acting faculty at Texas State, as well as an actor, writer, and decorated director. He holds an M.F.A. in acting from the world-renowned American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training (A.R.T.) at Harvard University,...

Caitlin Turnage holds a B.F.A in Playwriting and Dramaturgy from the University of Houston and an M.F.A. in Theatre from Texas State University. She's a co-founder of Ignition Theatre Productions a student run group operating out of the University of Houston. Her play "It's a fine day for a picnic" was...

Recieved BA in Theatre from SUNY @ Stony Brook May 1995.
Recieved MFA in Technical Production from Florida Stae University May 2015.

For Texas State, Matt is an Assistant Professor of Lighting Design, and he teaches courses in both the MFA and BFA lighting programs and mentors all student lighting designers in the program's 8+ show season.

As a professional designer, Matt's lit productions for Seattle Rep, Syracuse Stage, Arden...