Theatre Alumni

  Where Are They Now?
How our alums are putting their theatre training to use.

If you are an alumni of the HSU theatre and dance programs

please email us at theatre@hsu.edu and tell us what you have been doing

and update your contact information with the university by visiting the alumni web page.

ANGELIQUE PILZ-( Bachelor of Theatre Arts 2006)

Currently in her last year studying acting at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy '09.

RAE PORTWINE--( BA Theatre Arts 2009)
Currently in her first year of the MFA Stage Management Program at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Professional Stage Management credits include two years each at the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and the Oklahoma Shakespeare Festival.

J. TODD HOWELL--(BA Speech & Theater  1986)
 (credits on Broadway and film), New to LA from New York City, J. Todd was in the Broadway Revival of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and has performed with Tony Winner Lillias White. Art imitated life when he landed the role of jazz singer, Scott Pierson, in the feature film “The Falls”.  J. Todd lived a couple of years on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix where he had the privilege of meeting Levy Lee Simon and performing in a reading of his Haitian historical drama “For The Love Of Freedom”. A few months later J. Todd found himself in NYC performing a reading of another of Levy Lee’s plays, “The Bow Wow Club”.  J. Todd also holds a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication and taught at the two universities in his hometown, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, following grad school. He is a proud member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA.
Visit www.thefallsmovie.com to learn more about “The Falls”.

DELANCE MINEFEE--(BA Theatre Arts 1998/MFA in Acting - American Repertory Theatre / Moscow Art Theatre & Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University )
www.delance.net/

Dr. Monnitoff/Larry Reisman/Ricky Danforth in Donnie Darko. Second-year actor at the A.R.T./MXAT Institute. A.R.T. Institute/Moscow Art Theatre credit: Phoenician Women (Kreon). New York credits: ABK for Life, Columbia University; The A-Train Plays. Neighborhood Playhouse. Chicago credits: Death in Venice, Chicago Opera Theatre; Amistad Voices, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Let The Circle Be Unbroken, Apple Tree Theatre; Homebound, Congo Square. Other: Holes, Walden Media, Denver; Smokey Joe’s Café (tour), and Civil War, Prather Productions; Smokey Joe’s Café (Nominated for Best Actor in a Musical-Memphis Ostrander Awards), Memphis Playhouse on the Square; A Soldier’s Play, Dreamgirls, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (tour), Anything Goes, Damn Yankees, Dracula, The Wizard of Oz, and Voices on the River, Arkansas Repertory Theatre; Blood Knot, Arkansas Shakespeare Festival. Film: Barbershop II, MGM. Chasing the Dragon, Lifetime Entertainment. Even if I told you, Hollywood Black Film Fest. The Missing Peace, Boston International Film Fest. He has toured Germany as a Dancer with BMG Music, toured the Mississippi Delta as a Storyteller, and was the Assistant Director of Living History at the Historic Arkansas Museum.

ROBERT E. COPLEY, Jr.--(BA Theater Arts 1997/ MFA Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln)    
bob.copley@uconn.edu
Connecticut Repertory Theatre Production Manager
Univ. of Connecticut Department of Dramatic Arts
www.drama.uconn.edu

ROBERT E. COPLEY, Jr. (CRT Production Manager): Summer 2002 Robert assisted Gary English in the scenic design of the world premeire Flattery Will Get You... for the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Before coming to the University of Connecticut, Robert received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He was the first place recipient in the Barbizon Graduate Scene Design Competition at the Region 5 American College Theatre Festival two years running for his designs of Three Sisters and All's Well That Ends Well. He has also worked at such places as The Santa Fe Opera and the Tony Award winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. While at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Robert was awarded the Gene Chesley Memorial Design Award for his efforts in assisting Charles O'Connor in scenic design for its 1999 summer season.

PEARL REA--(BA Theater Arts & Comm. 1994/ MFA Design & Technology, Univ. of Minnesota- Twin Cities 1997) 
pjrea@hotmail.com

Currently working as Production Manager for the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and freelancing as a lighting designer/ stage manager for dance around the country.
Until recently, Pearl worked at the lighting director for the national touring of Paul Taylor Dance Company based out of NYC.  Broadway design credit: "Broadway for Medicine" event starring Betty Buckley.  National tour design credits include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ("Existence Without Form" choreographed by Uri Sands, world premiere in Copenhagen), Shapiro and Smith Dance Company for "Anytown:  Stories of America", and TU Dance. Additional design credits include Margolis Brown Theater Company (Sleepwalkers and American Safari), 3 Legged Race New Work and Performance (including the nationally recognized "Blizzard" performance series), Arena Dances from Mpls (regional tour), Brian Brooks Moving Company from NYC (regional tour) to name a few. 

 SEASON ELLISON-- (BA Theatre Arts, 2003/ MA Texas State Univ. 2005) 
Sellison@wooster.edu
Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre, The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio

Season Ellison, Ph.D. is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at The College of Wooster. There she teaches acting, directing, and performance studies and will direct The Comedy of Errors in Fall 2009. Other recent directing credits include: The Shape of Things, Fat Pig, and The Laramie Project. She is the Graduate Student and Junior Faculty Representative for the Directing Forum at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference and she currently serves as conference Co-Chair for the Playwriting Symposium at Mid America Theatre Conference.

MATTHEW MORTON (BA Theater Arts 2000)
Freelance designer

Matthew Morton is receiving his Master of Fine Arts in Scenic Art and Design from Ohio University, and has worked in such prestigious theatres as Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico, Ohio Valley Summer Theatre, and the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Chicago Claremore, OK Performing Arts Center Technical Director.  He is also a Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival national award winner in scenic design.  Matthew provides technical and design support for the arts teachers of Claremore, working in all areas of technical theatre, whether it be light, sound, or set construction.  He also brings his technical expertise to the table during community events and touring productions.

STEVIE AGNEW  (BA Theater Arts 2002/ MFA Lighting Design, Carnegie Mellon Univ.)
Lighting Designer
[March 2007] has also joined Vincent Lighting full-time as Production Specialist.  While earning an MFA in lighting design from Carnegie Mellon University, Stevie sharpened his talents with the likes of the Santa Fe Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet and MP Productions. He has gained extensive lighting design experience through Bodiography Contemporary Ballet, Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival and many others. Stevie is also the Assistant Lighting Designer for the Pittsburgh Opera.

BRIGITTE BRUMBELOW  --(BA Speech & Theater 1995/ MFA, University of Southern Mississippi, '98)
Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance, Hendrix Theatre arts

Brigitte Brumbelow recently directed  Boy Gets Girl at The Public Theatre in Little Rock, AR 

JENNIFER TAYLOR--(BA Theater Arts 1996/ Master's Degree, Theatre, Purdue University 1998)
Technical Director with Comedy Sportz Chicago, Improv Olympic, Second City, Goodman Theatre & countless sketch & improv groups, theatres and festivals.

Jennifer (Technical Director, Comedy Sportz Chicago) currently lives in Chicago and previously worked in theatre productions, concerts and television with the Goodman Theatre, Serendipity Theatre Company & Elliott Hall of Music Productions to name a few.  She served as the Production Stage Manager for the 67th Annual PMO/PBS Christmas Concert and assisted on the 66th annual show.  One of her last theatrical endeavors, but favorite, included working with Second City original member Sheldon Patinkin on The Gift Theatre Company's production of Boys' Life.  Becoming ever bored with monotany of doing the same show over and over, she joined the ranks of the funny people working the top three improv theatres (Second City, Comedy Sportz Chicago & I.O. (formerly Improv Olympic)) in the funniest city in the world.  Jennifer has not only been the TD of Comedy Sportz Chicago for the past 5 years, but has also freelanced with such award winning sketch and improv groups Brick, Velvet Tom, GayCo., Hans & Robyn, Triplette, & The Hot Karl at various festivals including the Chicago & San Francisco Improv Festivals, Chicago's Sketchfest and I.O. West.   Most recently Jennifer completed a run of the musical/sketch comedy "Listen Kid," a hilarious new work by Colbert Report writer Peter Gwinn.

comedysportzchicago.com                        myspace.com/jennicoletaylor

SHANNON REDNOUR—1991
Creative Direction & Production Management
Director of new media/video-on-demand for Sundance Channel
Was Sr. Director of New Media and VOD for Sundance Channel from July 2002 - March 2006
“As Collision Theory's resident scenic designer”
Flash/Motion Design VH1 Promos @ shannonrednour.com/portfolio
shannon@shannonrednour.com

BARRY HONOLD -- (BA 1998/MLA 2006/MFA in Dramaturgy at Brooklyn College 2009 )
Apprentice/Dramaturg at the Kentucky Repertory Theatre 

After graduating from HSU with an MLA in May of 2006, Barry had a summer internship in Gainesville, Florida at the Hippodrome State Theatre in the field of Grants-Writing.  In September of 2006, he joined The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia as Literary Fellow under Wilma Dramaturg Walter Bilderback and Co-Artistic Directors Blanka and Jiri Zizka.  As Literary Fellow, Barry assisted in dramaturgical research for the 2006-2007 season (Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, Athol Fugard’s My Children! My Africa!, Sarah Schulman’s new play adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Enemies, A Love Story, and the David Edgar adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Life of Galileo). He was a contributing writer for the WilmaBill Open Stages, assisted in compiling actor research packets, helped answer questions about the world of the plays, and read play submissions for season consideration.  On top of the fantastic Wilma staff, Barry is pleased to have worked with actors Saxon Palmer (The Pillowman, Law & Order: SVU), Michael Pemberton(The Pillowman, HBO’s Oz and The Sopranos), two-time Tony nominee Lewis J. Stadlen (The Pillowman, HBO’s The Sopranos) John Campion (The Life of Galileo, David Mamet’s The Unit), Scott Barrow (The Life of Galileo), and Glynn Turman (My Children! My Africa! Law and Order: SVU and HBO’s The Wire). 
barryhonold@hotmail.com.

RACHEL ARCHER--(BA Theater Arts 2004)
Preschool teacher for Miss Selma's School, Little Rock, AR.
Recruiter/Marketer for Baptist Health Schools of Nursing and Allied Health, Little Rock, 2005-2008.  She is married to Cole Brewer. He is a Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot for the US Army. She is still active in theater and has performed with both the Community Theater of Little Rock and the Weekend Theater.

TAMARA (Gentry) CLEMENT --(BA Theatre Arts 1992/ MA Louisiana Tech Univ. 1994)   tclement@virginiasymphony.org
Director of Marketing of the Virginia Symphony, Norfolk, Va.

2005-2009, Director of Marketing, Sales and Public Relations for the Arkansas Symphony. 
From 1995-2005, Tamara lived in New Orleans, LA where she worked as Box Office Manager for the Jefferson Performing Arts Society and as Box Office Manager and then Grant Writer for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.  While in New Orleans, she performed in The Secret Garden, Kismet and George M and directed/choreographed student productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well as two editions of the "Broadway Gala" for the Jefferson Children's Chorus.  Tamara is married to Jeff Clement, who is the Production Designer at Southwest Design & Display in North Little Rock, and has two children.

JENNIFER KITCHENS -- BA Theater Arts 1999
Assistant to Deputy Director
HOT SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTER & SUMMIT ARENA

KAREN HERGESHEIMER-- BA Theater Arts 2002
(Stage Manager). She has stage managed for the National Asian American Theatre Company, Fluid Motion Theatre & Film, Diverse City Theatre Co, Ma-Yi Theatre Co. and  the Barrow Group in NY city. Karen apprenticed at The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 2002-03. She has also stage managed for the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival, Theatre West Virginia, and First Frontier, Inc.

WHITNEY HALL -- (BA Theater Arts 2004, Master of Arts in Teaching, HSU, 2007)

Whitney Hall is currently teaching Theater at Oaklawn Elementary in Hot Springs, AR. She graduated in May 2007 with her Masters of Arts in Teaching degree. She is also leading workshops for the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens through Premier School Specialties across the country. She is very excited about what the future holds!

 
HOLLIE WHITE SHEPHERD-- (BA Theater Arts 2004)
Pulaski Academy Middle & Upper School Drama Teacher

Hollie married Michael Shepherd in May of 2005 and they had a son named Mason Brody Shepherd on June 27, 2007.  Currently she is living in Bryant and she is working as the middle & upper school drama teacher at Pulaski Academy where she directs two productions a year.  In her spare time she teaches private acting lessons and coaches students who are preparing for auditions.

JOSH WILLIAMS     (BA Theater Arts 2001)

Josh is currently working with the Hot Springs Pocket Theatre on a regular basis...in both acting and directing.

Debbie Howell--(BS, Henderson State University 1976/MSE, Henderson State University)
Parkview High School Drama Specialist
Courses taught: Stage Craft, Stage Management
1984 Arkansas Speech Teacher of the Year
1986 Summer Fellowship Winner, Northwestern University
1999 Stephens Award Winner

FRED BOOSEY     (MSE Speech & Theater 1980)
Fred Boosey is a theatre arts specialist in the area of theatre at Parkview Arts-Science Magnet High School. As instructor of acting and mime, he finds himself directing at the campus as well as being involved in a variety of community endeavors including "Tales of the Crypt" at Mount Holly Cemetery, "Rendezvous" at Pinnacle Mountain State Park and a host of other activities. The theatre program just received the Robert Sarver Award for involvement with the anti-smoking campaign in the Little Rock Public Schools. He holds a M.S.E. in theatre education from Henderson State University and a B.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
1990 Arkansas Speech Teacher of the Year
Past President, Arkansas Speech Communication Association
Specialist Instructor, Summer Workshops, ASCA
Instructor, Arkansas Governor’s School
1992 Stephens Award Winner
2000 Teacher of the Year at Parkview

Elizabeth (Smith) Bullington (BA, Henderson State University  2007)

Teaching gifted students in the elementary & high school for the Catahoula Parish School Board, Harrisonburg, La. 

JENNIFER MUSTION INLOW -- BA Theater Arts 1997
Dept. Lead for Theatre and Dance
NWA Academy of Fine Arts
Rogers, AR

Pat Treadway -- (BA, Henderson State University/MA, University of Arkansas at Little Rock) 
Parkview High School Drama Specialist
Courses taught: Debate, Communications
1980 Arkansas Speech Teacher of the Year
Stephens Award Winner
Past President, Arkansas Speech Communication Association
Scholarships received:
The graduating class of 2001 received a total of $2,470,000 worth of scholarships.
Past projects produced:
School musicals including: Working, West Side Story, The Wiz, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Fiddler on the Roof
Plays including: Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, Inherit the Wind, The Man Who Came to Dinner
Miscellaneous programs: The Long Goodbye, Murder-Mystery Dinner Theatres, Mount Holly’s Tales of the Crypt, Rendezvous 2002

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