Melissa Shafer is a professor of theatre in the Department of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University. She teaches courses in the Design/Production Concentration, serves as the department’s faculty lighting designer, and occasionally directs. Recent lighting design credits include Antigone, Sense and Sensibility, and Jack and the Beanstalk. Recent directing credits include Waiting for Godot, Middletown, and Deadman’s Cell Phone.
A native of the St. Louis metropolitan area, Melissa received her MFA in Theatre Design from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and her BA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Prior to joining the faculty at East Tennessee State, Melissa taught theatre at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and Loyola University New Orleans.
Melissa is the co-author (with colleague Karen Brewster) of the book The Fundamentals of Theatrical Design: A Guide to the Basics of Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design.