Email: paul.finocchiaro@mnsu.ed
Paul Finocchiaro, assistant professor, is a graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he recieved a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre performance / Acting. Paul received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Boston Conservatory in his home town. Paul has had a seventeen-year career in musical theatre before joining the faculty of MSU. His professional credits include National tours of West Side Story, Gypsy, the original cast of Ziegfeld, A Night at the Follies, and the European tour of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Regional credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Nine, Guys and Dolls, EFX, Sweeney Todd, Annie Get Your Gun,and a three-year run of Starlight Express in Las Vegas playing ten roles. He has had the great fortune to work with Michael Crawford, David and Patrick Cassidy, Sheena Easton and many other stars.
Email: george.grubb@mnsu.edu
George Grubb received his BA in Theatre Arts from Minnesota State University, Moorhead and received his MFA in Technical Direction in December 2005 from Minnesota State Mankato. Before Mankato, he worked for many theatres in the Twin Cities including The Guthrie Theater, Theatre de la Jeune Lune and Park Square Theatre. For the department, George teaches all theatrical sound and stagecraft classes as well as designing or supervising student designs for all sound in the department.
Email: jessica.guthrie@mnsu.edu
Jessica Guthrie, who joins MSU as Costume Shop Supervisor, earned her BA in Drama from Texas A&M University and her MFA in Design with a costume emphasis from the University of Georgia. Most recently, she was an Instructional Assistant Professor at Illinois State University as well as an Adjunct Professor at Spelman College in Atlanta. In addition to being a Costume Shop Supervisor for The Process Theatre, Theatre in the Square and The Jewish Theatre, she has worked as a milliner, draper, first hand and stitcher. Costume design experience includes Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, Fiddler on the Roof, Twelfth Night and An Inspector Calls among others. She has been a member of the Costume Commission of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology since 2001.
Email: heather.hamilton@mnsu.edu
Heather E. Hamilton holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Plymouth State College (NH) and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Dramatic Literature and History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Heather was the Director of Theater at the Wolfeboro NH Area Creative Arts Center, served on the board of The Sandwich Players, and was an adjudicator and workshop leader for the NH Educational Theater Guild. During the summer, she taught Shakespeare for the Graduate English program at PSU. Heather has directed and acted in plays on both American coasts, playing major characters in close to forty productions over the last decade. She was the recipient of the NH Theater Award for Best Professional Actress in 2004. Her research interests include philosophy and theater, and the psychology of violence in performance. She will make her MSU directorial debut with Dancing at Lunghnasa this winter.
Email: paul.hustoles@mnsu.edu
Paul J. Hustoles earned his MA from the University of Michigan and his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University. He serves the department as Chair and Producer and is also Artistic Director of Highland Summer Theatre. Dr. Hustoles teaches acting, directing, theatre history, research, theory and criticism, theatre management and music theatre. He is past Region V Chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and is the proud recipient of the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion of Excellence Award in Theatre.
Email: julie.kerr-berry@mnsu.edu
Julie Kerr-Berry has a Ph.D. from Temple University. As Associate Professor of Dance in the Department of Theatre and Dance, she teaches both dance technique and theory and is the coordinator of the dance minor program as well as the University Dance Ensemble. As a Fulbright Scholar, she traveled to Indonesia in 1993 to study the indigenous dances of Bali and Java. Her interest in world dance includes a summer teaching, dancing and conducting research in Nigeria, West Africa. She has been named assistant editor of the Journal of Dance Education.
Email: mike.lagerquist@mnsu.edu
Michael Lagerquist joined the Department of Theatre and Dance staff as Public Relations Director after writing about its events for more than 13 years as a writer and editor at The Free Press in Mankato and Applauze magazine. He received his undergraduate degree in Mass Communications and English from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and is currently pursuing his masters degree at MSU. In addition, he has been involved with more than two dozen productions at Mankato's Merely Players Community Theatre.
Email: david.mccarl@mnsu.edu
David McCarl received his MFA from Indiana University. Professor McCarl serves as Costume Designer and Production Area Head. He teaches stage makeup, advanced makeup, costume design and advanced costume design, costume history, costume construction, portfolio seminar, basic design and stage combat.
Email: john.paul@mnsu.edu
John Paul earned his MFA from the University of Minnesota and served most recently on the faculty of Northwestern College in Orange City, IA. He was technical director at the Cricket Theatre in Minneapolis and spent five years working at Scenery West, a popular scenic design company in Hollywood. His resume includes award-winning theatrical design credits, collaboration with Oscar award-winning artists, and work on seven feature films—including assistant art director for "Fargo" and "Grumpier Old Men," and set designer for "Jingle All the Way," "The Cure" and "Feeling Minnesota." He completed some of his education at Minnesota State Mankato and returned for the scenic design for Show Boat in Highland Summer Theatre 2004.
Email: steven.smith-1@mnsu.edu
Steven Smith received his MFA in Technical Direction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and now serves as the Lighting Designer for the department, responsible for designing or supervising students' designing of lighting for all MSU Theatre productions. Since leaving graduate school, he has served as lighting designer for more than 100 productions, as technical director for more than 50 productions and as resident scenic designer for Torchlight Theatrics for three years. He is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and USITT. He teaches introduction to theatre, basic design, theatre drafting, lighting technology, lighting design and advanced lighting design.
Daniel Stark, Assistant Professor of Dance, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Iowa. As an instructor he has taught at the Beijing Dance Academy, Zenon in Minneapolis and most recently at the University of Iowa for three years as a Visiting Assistant Professor. He will teach Introduction to Dance, contemporary dance technique, ballet, jazz, conditioning, dance improvisation, dance composition and dance in technology.
Email: nicholas.wayne@mnsu.edu
Nick Wayne is a 2002 graduate of Bethany Lutheran College, where he majored in Music. In May 2004 he earned his Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Minnesota State Mankato, and has taught as an adjunct faculty at Minnesota State Mankato, Gustavus Adolphus College and Bethany Lutheran College. In addition, he served as Musical Director for MSU’s Mainstage productions of Man of La Mancha, Urinetown and Beauty and the Beast plus Highland Summer Theatre productions including Nunsense, Grease, The Robber Bridegroom and Bye Bye Birdie.
Email: randy.york@mnsu.edu
Randy York received his MFA in Design and Production from the University of Minnesota in 1991. During the school year , Mr. York serves as the Technical Director, manages scenery construction, and teaches Theatre Technology and Stagecraft. Since coming to MSU in 1994, he has also designed sets for 6 Highland Summer Theatre seasons, including The Sound of Music, Sleuth, Grease, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Odd Couple, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; as well as scenery for the academic year, including Romeo and Juliet, A Streetcar Named Desire, and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.
