Administration
Karen Brewster
Department Chair & Professor Karen Brewster serves the ETSU Department of Theatre and Dance as Chair and teaches courses in theatre history and theatrical design. Karen is an alumna of ETSU, and she considers East Tennessee home for many reasons—most importantly because she studied under the esteemed Daryl and Bud Frank while earning her undergraduate degree. Karen went on to earn her MFA in Costume Design from Michigan State University, followed by years of working in professional theatre companies from Nebraska to Maine. In fact, she developed her career significantly at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA as costume shop supervisor, costume craftsperson, and costume designer. After this important time as a professional artist in regional professional theatres, Karen joined the faculty at ETSU in 2000. Karen is active in professional organizations, serving, for example, as a site visitor for National Association for Schools of Theatre (NAST). She is also a co-author, with colleague Melissa Shafer, of the text "Fundamentals of Theatrical Design: A Guide to the Basics of Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design" published by Allworth Press.
- brewster@etsu.edu
- 423-439-5827
- Gilbreath Hall 214B
Faculty
Brad Fugate
Assistant Professor Musical Theatre Dr. Brad Fugate teaches musical theatre (singing, acting, music direction) at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. He received a Masters in Music in Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (1997), a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) in Vocal Performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2006), and a PhD with a double concentration in Historical Musicology and Ethnomusicology from Boston University (2016). Dr. Fugate’s research focuses on the ways in which the singing voice acts as a cultural marker for gender/sexuality in society. In addition to ETSU, throughout the years, he has taught at Catawba College, Davidson College, UNC-G, Boston University, and Brown University. He has also music directed over 30 musicals. In March 2019, Brad’s arrangement of the musical "My Princess Diana" premiered off-Broadway at the Alvin Alley Theatre in NYC. Also, in October 2021, Brad completed his 3-year training course to become a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique.
- fugatebk@etsu.edu
- 423-439-6523
- Martin Center for the Arts 118
Bobby Funk
Professor Acting Bobby Funk is a full professor at East Tennessee State University. He teaches a variety of performance classes, including, Play Direction, Acting I, Dramatic Structure, Acting for TV and Film, Stage Combat and The Audition Process. Bobby did his undergraduate work at Western Carolina University. He then went on to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and then to receive his MFA Degree in Acting and Directing from UNC-Greensboro. A proud member of The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Bobby has worked professionally as an actor and director Off-Broadway and in regional theatres across the country, including Barter Theatre. He is the author of the book, "The Audition Process: A Guide for Actors" published by Heinemann Publishing, and the co-author, with Patrick Cronin, of the online textbook, "Introduction to Theatre," published by Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. Bobby has also written several plays including, "Co. Aytch," "The Dream Continues: The History of the Civil Rights Movement," "The Brave and the Free," "River Rising: TVA and the Town of Butler" and "Hear That Whistle Blow . . . Erwin Train A Coming." Bobby is a single dad. His two children are Kennedy and Duvall.
- funk@etsu.edu
- 423-439-6512
- Gilbreath Hall 116B
Cara Harker
Professor, Associate Chair Dance Minor Cara Harker is a professor and associate chair for the Department of Theatre and Dance and program coordinator for the dance minor program at ETSU. Cara graduated from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University with an MFA in Theatre Performance. Credits include (writer, choreographer, director, performer): "From the Sublime to the Ridiculous," New Orleans’ InFringe Fest; bebe, Know Theatre, Cincinnati Fringe Festival; "Memoir of a Mythomaniac: the True Story of a Compulsive Liar (or Tallulah Dies)," Cincinnati Fringe Festival (WINNER: Dr. Robert J. Thierauf Producer’s Pick of the Fringe Award). Presentations include: The Art of the Solo Dance, which featured the solo performance, Memoir, at the International University Global Theatre Experience Conference in Leitring bei Leibnitz, Austria; Choreographing through Constraints: Embracing Practical and Created Obstacles when Making Dances at University of Lincoln, UK; and This Could be Habit-Forming: Finding Inspiration from Everyday Movement at University of Derby, UK.
- harkerc@etsu.edu
- 423-439-5687
- Gilbreath Hall 213A
Zach Olsen
Clinical Faculty-Technical Director Zach Olsen has served the ETSU Department of Theatre and Dance since 2016 as the Technical Director and as an Adjunct Professor. He teaches Introduction to Theatre Production, Advanced Theatre Production, and Theatre Lab. Originally from Traverse City, Michigan, he received his MFA from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL in 2015 in Theatre Arts – Design and Technology with emphasis as a Technical Director. Prior to that, he received his Bachelor of Science from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI in 2012 in Theatre and Entertainment Technology with an emphasis in Design and Electrical Technology. Outside of ETSU, he has production credits at the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Interlochen Shakespeare Festival, the Fox Valley Repertory Theatre, the DuSable Museum of African American History, and the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. He also has significant experience as a Rigger doing Arena, Theatrical, and Performer Rigging.
- olsenz@etsu.edu
- 423-439-7487
- Martin Center for the Arts 111-C
Melissa Shafer
Professor Design/Production 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."
- shaferm@etsu.edu
- 423-439-5837
- Martin Center for the Arts 119
Jonathon Taylor
Assistant Professor Design/Production Jonathon W. Taylor (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University. He teaches a variety of theatrical design and technology courses including Scenic Design, Costume Design, Stage Management, Rendering and Drafting, and Theatre Design Basics, and regularly offers a section of Introduction to Theatre. Jonathon’s undergraduate work was completed at ETSU, earning degrees in focusing in theatre and literature. He earned his MFA in Theatrical Design and Production from the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. Jonathon’s teaching and professional career in theater and dance spans nearly two decades. He has served as a designer and/or technical director for productions at various venues in Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Hawaii, Oregon, and Nevada. Prior to coming to ETSU, Jonathon was the production designer at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (Wise, VA), technical director for the Earl Ernst Lab Theatre (Honolulu, HI), and the scenic and costume designer and technical director before serving as interim department chair at the University of Nevada, Reno. Jonathon is the author of several articles published in Southern Theatre Magazine and Theatre Symposium. He is originally from Jonesborough, TN.
- taylorjw2@etsu.edu
- 423-439-6525
- Martin Center for the Arts 120
Ante Ursić
Assistant Professor Physical Theatre Ante Ursić (PhD University of California, Davis) is a circus practitioner and Assistant Professor of Physical Theatre at the Department of Theatre and Dance, East Tennessee State University. His research investigates the human-animal relationship in contemporary circus. He is especially interested in the circus’ political sphere and potential, exploring how it relates to different understandings of animality. As circus artist, he received a gold medal from the festival SOLyCIRCO and a special prize from the festival Cirque du Demain. He has successfully produced projects of his own and in collaboration. He performed with established companies such as Cirque du Soleil (Totem), Tiger Lillies Circus, Balagan, and Circus Roncalli. Ante holds a Bachelor with distinction in Dance, Context, Choreography from Inter-University Center of Dance, Berlin, and a distinguished master’s in performance studies from New York University. Professor Ursić’s research has received support from the German Academic Exchange Program, the Social Science Research Council, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among others. At ETSU, Professor Ursić is heading the Physical Theatre concertation and teaches courses in the field such as Commedia dell’Arte, Modern Clowning, Theatre Movement, Tight Wire Walking and Thinking, and Contact Improvisation.
- ursica@etsu.edu
- 423-439-6514
- Gilbreath Hall 213B
Adjunct Faculty
Pamela Adolphi
Adjunct Instructor Pamela is an adjunct instructor of Intro to Theatre with the Department of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University. She earned both her BS in Speech and MA in Professional Communications from ETSU, concentrating in theatre. Pamela served 10 years as the Technical Director and Resident Designer (lighting, scenic and costume) for the Theatre Department at Milligan University before returning to ETSU to work with the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and the James C. and Mary B. Martin Center for the Arts. Pamela currently offers her skills and experience as a consultant, freelance designer, as well as a standardize patient where she is able to work with a diverse group of individuals and students. Along with Intro to Theatre, she has taught courses in Stagecraft, Stage Makeup, Theatrical Design and Theatre History. Pamela has also served as director and co-director for a number of productions and has been known to take the stage on occasion. Though her moto is, “I prefer to run the spotlight, not be in it.” Some of her favorite productions include, "Three the Hard Way," "Seascape," "Forever Plaid," "The Tempest," "Euridice," "Godspell," "The Odyssey," "Alice in Wonderland", "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "Rabbit Hole."
Jennifer Kintner
Adjunct Instructor Jen holds an MS in Pharmacology/ Toxicology from Dartmouth College and works in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at QCOM, which she claims helps balance out All That Dance. She started out at age 10 with modern technique classes and improvisation and branched out into African/Brazilian and aerial dance over time. She has also studied yoga practice, theory and history and has taught vinyasa and aerial yoga classes for several decades. Jen has taught modern dance, aerial dance, improvisation, composition and dance history at ETSU since 2005. In 2009, she took over as the artistic director of Mountain Movers Dance Company, ETSU’s resident modern/aerial dance company, first created by Judith Woodruff and Doug Nelson in 1986. Jen has studied over many years at the American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, Aerial Dance Festival in Boulder, and at New England Center for Circus Arts. These experiences helped to hone her skills and give her great compassion for students struggling to learn complicated material. She takes special care to make her classes accessible, fun and safe for all of her students.
Rebekah Knisley
Adjunct InstructorRebekah Knisley has been involved with dance since the age of three. Having trained across East Tennessee with numerous studios and theaters, she graduated from Lincoln Memorial University with a Bachelors in Exercise Science. While at the university, she participated on the LMU Dance Team including as dance captain. Knisley has taught at numerous studios and academies including East Tennessee Dance Academy and Tennessee Conservatory of Fine Arts, Center Stage Performing Arts Center, and more. She is a versatile dancer and instructor from tap to hip hop to ballet. Knisley is also a gifted and in-demand choreographer whose choreography credits include "Fiddler on the Roof" at Lincoln Memorial University as well as "Singing in the Rain," "Sister Act," "Annie Get Your Gun," and "Crazy for You" at Jonesborough Repertory Theater. Originally from Strawberry Plains, TN, Knisley now lives in Johnson City with her husband and small dog.
Annalee Tull
Adjunct InstructorAnnalee Tull has an MFA in interdisciplinary arts from Goddard College, an MA in communication studies emphasizing performance from East Tennessee State University, and a BA degree in dance and journalism from Radford University with a minor in French. She has trained extensively in ballet, tap, jazz, tumbling, hip hop, modern and contemporary styles of dance. She is on faculty at Watts Dance Studio and choreographs regionally with the Showcase Dancers. She is a former member of DDO Artists Agency, where she performed in music videos for Taylor Swift and Dierks Bentley. Tull published a textbook, "Dance as a Human Experience," in the fall of 2019, and has performed in NYC with the Choreographer’s Canvas, Tap it Out, and Tap Futures. She also commissioned new work at the Smack Mellon Institute in New York for the Itinerant international performance art festival.
Staff
Tiffany Angaran
Executive AideTiffany Angaran earned her Master's degree in Counseling, with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health, from East Tennessee State University in December 2020. Tiffany is committed to Equity and Inclusion work and is a strong LGBTQ+ advocate. She has co-published an article titled "From Oppression to Opportunity: Disrupting Social Stigma and Affirming LGBTQ Families" for the Winter 2019 edition of the CFLE Network with Counseling and Human Services Professor, Dr. Bethany Novotny.
- mullinstr@etsu.edu
- 423-439-6524
- Gilbreath Hall 214C
Victoria Keller
AccompanistTheatre & Dance
- kellerv@etsu.edu
- 423-439-6523
- Martin Center for the Arts 118
Louisa Peng
Collaborative Pianist and Vocal CoachTheatre & Dance
- pengl1@etsu.edu
- Martin Center for the Arts 118
Jessica Richardson
Interim Costume Shop SupervisorJessica Richardson is a recent graduate of ETSU. She earned her bachelor's degree in Theatre with minors in Merchandising and Art. Her focus is in Costuming but she loves all aspects of theatrical design. Jessica has worked on multiple productions at ETSU such as: Ken Ludwig's "Baskerville: a Sherlock Holmes Mystery"," Middletown", "You Can't Take it with You", "Bright Star", and most recently "Androcles and the Lion."
- richardsojt1@etsu.edu
- 423-439-8184
- Martin Center for the Arts 114-A
Matt Stevens
Assistant Technical DirectorMatt Stevens is a returning ETSU graduate who is thrilled by the chance to work alongside the professors and faculty that he had once been educated by. His focus is the technical side of theatre such as Lighting, Carpentry, and Sound Design. He has even been known to sew a costume when it is needed. He has helped work on many shows here at ETSU such as "Sense and Sensibility", "Waiting for Godot", "You Can't Take It with You", and most recently "Bright Star."
- stevensmw@etsu.edu
- 423-439-7487
- Martin Center for the Arts 111-C
Professors Emeriti
Patrick Cronin
Professor EmeritusPat Cronin was a Professor and Head of Theatre in the Department of Communication at East Tennessee State University until his retirement in 2019. He also served as the Director of the Fine and Performing Arts Scholars Program in the Honors College at ETSU. He had been a faculty member at ETSU since 1999, serving for 20 years.
Delbert Hall
Professor Emeritus Dr. Delbert Hall, was a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University, where he taught since 1986. Dr. Hall received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida, his MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and his B.S.Ed. from Western Carolina University. Dr. Hall is an ETCP Certified Rigger (Theatre) and a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - Local 699. He is the author of numerous books, including: Rigging Math Made Simple, The Rigging Math Made Simple Workbook, The Arena Riggers Handbook, and The Theatre Riggers’ Handbook. Dr. Hall is an award-winning educator, scenic designer, and theatrical technician. He won Third Prize in the Organization of International Sceneographers and Theatre Technicians’ 2017 Technical Invention Prize; won Meritorious Achievement Awards for both scenic design and special effects rigging from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival; and was the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology - Southeast Region’s Outstanding Educator in Theatrical Design and Technology for 2000-2001. Dr. Hall has been rigging/choreographing performer flying effects since 1981, does rigging inspections for theatres and major theme parks around the US, and teaches workshops on rigging and rigging math, worldwide.
