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Robin GuiverView profile

Assistant Professor

• Acting
• Acting for the Camera
• Movement for Actors
• +3 more

Robin Guiver serves as Assistant Professor in Theatre and Dance Performance at Ithaca College's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, bringing over twenty years of professional experience as an actor, movement director, and educator across theatre, film, and television industries. His research and artistic practice centers on Acting , Acting for the Camera , and Movement for Actors , with specialized expertise in Physical Theatre (Lecoq-based methodology), Puppetry , and Devised Theatre . His pedagogy integrates classical techniques with contemporary industry demands for evolving performance landscapes. Guiver founded Performance FX , a specialized training company preparing actors for complex film industry challenges, contributing to major productions including Fantastic Beasts , The Little Mermaid , and Wicked . His teaching spans institutions like Cornell University and Rose Bruford College, emphasizing practical application of movement and screen acting techniques.

Debra Kim SivignyView profile

Assistant Professor

• Costume Design
• Scenic Design
• Representation of Asians in Theatre
• +4 more

Deb Sivigny serves as an Assistant Professor in the Theatre Production and Management department within Ithaca College's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, specializing in costume design, scenography, and immersive theatre. Her professional portfolio spans theatre, opera, and dance productions at institutions including Hangar Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Everyman Theatre, and the Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences. Her academic credentials include: BA from Middlebury College MFA in Costume Design from University of Maryland Sivigny's research integrates dramaturgy, cross-cultural dialogue, and personal experience as a Korean-American adoptee to explore Asian representation on stage, immigrant narratives, and stereotype subversion. She describes design as a 'sedimentary rock' process—layered, organic, and narrative-driven—creating 'design-driven' works that illuminate character arcs through research-based visual frameworks without overwhelming performers. Her philosophy emphasizes iterative experimentation and honesty in expanding theatrical possibilities. As an educator in Ithaca College's BFA Theatre Production and Design program, she mentors students to harness life experiences for creative design-thinking, focusing on storytelling fundamentals over technical replication. She advocates for understanding how personal history informs aesthetic choices to develop successful design perspectives. Professionally, Sivigny is a member of United Scenic Artists (USA 829) and represented by Michael Moore Agency. Her recent design credits include The Chinese Lady (Everyman Theatre, 2025), Othello , The Nightsong of Orpheus , The Royale , and dance productions like Tia Nina , reflecting her commitment to new works and devised pieces across theatrical disciplines.

Saviana StanescuView profile

Associate Professor

• Playwriting
• Contemporary Theatre
• Performance Studies
• +7 more

Saviana Stanescu is a Romanian-born award-winning playwright, poet, and scholar who serves as a tenured Associate Professor and Chair of Theatre Studies at Ithaca College's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. She has a distinguished career spanning both academic and artistic domains, with productions of her work presented internationally and across the United States. Her creative practice focuses on the immigrant experience, contemporary theatre, and re-imagining classical works through modern lenses. Dr. Stanescu earned her MA in Performance Studies and MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (as a Fulbright fellow), and completed her PhD in Theatre Studies at the National University of Theatre & Film in Bucharest, Romania. Her educational background reflects her dual expertise in both Eastern European theatrical traditions and contemporary American theatre practices. Her research interests center on playwriting, contemporary theatre and performance, script analysis, re-imagining the classics, devised theatre, and writing/performing the immigrant experience. She has developed innovative courses exploring Performing Autobiography, Performative Writing, Theatre & Feminism, and Contemporary Women Playwrights. Her scholarly work consistently bridges academic theory with practical theatrical creation, often drawing from her own experiences as an immigrant to the United States. Stanescu's creative output reveals a consistent thematic focus on cultural identity, political commentary, and the immigrant experience within American society. Her works often employ experimental forms and multilingual elements while maintaining strong narrative structures. The evolution of her work demonstrates increasing sophistication in blending Eastern European theatrical traditions with contemporary American experimental theatre practices. New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Script UNITER Best Romanian Play of the Year Marulic Prize for Best European Radio drama Indie Theatre Hall of Fame induction Indie Theatre Person of the Year (2010) Fulbright Fellowship John Golden Award for excellence in Playwriting As an educator, Stanescu has mentored numerous emerging theatre artists through her teaching positions at multiple institutions. She has received significant grant support including NYSCA playwright-in-residence funding with Women's Project and TCG fellowship support through the Lark Play Development Center. Her artistic leadership extends to her role as Director of Eastern European Exchange for The Lark Play Development Center. Stanescu founded and serves as Artistic Director of 'Immigrant Artists and Scholars in New York' (IASNY), curating programs including 'New York with an Accent', 'Global Poetry Series', and 'LIBERTY's DAUGHTERS - Immigrant Women's Monologues.' She is also the curator of playgroundzero, the new play readings series of the experimental theatre festival undergroundzero in NYC. These initiatives demonstrate her commitment to creating platforms for underrepresented voices in the theatre community.

Sean Ryan NaughtonView profile

Part-Time Lecturer

• Acting
• Directing
• Improvisation
• +3 more

Sean Ryan Naughton serves as a Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Theatre & Dance at Otterbein University, holding a B.F.A. from Chapman University and an MFA in Acting from The Ohio State University where he received the Graduate Teaching Excellence Award in 2019. His professional practice spans: Stage and on-camera acting techniques Classical and contemporary directing Devised theater creation Interdisciplinary new media performance With twenty years of industry experience, Naughton has performed in national commercials, television, and films featured at Sundance and Los Angeles International Film Festivals, while directing for companies including Shakespeare Orange County and East L.A. Classic Theatre. He currently serves as Producing Artistic Director of The Sound Company. His artistic achievements include: Premiere of original work Sound and Fury Signifying: Macbeth (2021) Best Actor award for The Final Overture (2021) As an educator, he has directed over two dozen youth devised works and specializes in practical training across acting, directing, and improvisation disciplines.

Doreen BechtolView profile

Associate Professor

• Theatre Performance
• Shakespeare Studies
• Devised Theatre
• +3 more

Doreen Bechtol serves as Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Shakespeare and Performance program at Mary Baldwin University, concurrently managing the Master of Fine Arts Company and directing training initiatives. Her work bridges scholarly rigor with avant-garde performance practices rooted in ensemble creation. Her educational credentials include: MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University BFA in Theatre and Education from Western Michigan University Professor Bechtol's research manifests through embodied practice rather than traditional publications, specializing in physical theater methodologies that synthesize Suzuki training, Viewpoints composition, acrobatics, and yoga. Her signature approach to Shakespearean performance emphasizes architectural awareness of early modern stages, developed through workshops examining spatial dynamics at the Blackfriars Playhouse. This work extends to devised theater creation via the Performers Exchange Project, where collaborative authorship forms the cornerstone of original productions. As Director of the MFA Company, she mentors graduate students in ensemble-based creation processes while previously shaping theatrical education for adolescents through the American Shakespeare Center's internationally acclaimed youth programs (2006-2011). Her pedagogical innovations include developing curricula that explore historical staging conditions through practical application. Her professional ecosystem encompasses leadership in the Performers Exchange Project and enduring contributions to the American Shakespeare Center, where she directed landmark productions including the institution's inaugural Greek tragedy ( Antigone ) and pioneered aerial techniques by performing as Puck on a circus hoop utilizing the Blackfriars' fly system.

Mette Obling HøegView profile

Associate Professor

• Theatre and Performance Studies
• Performativity Theory
• Dramaturgy
• +4 more

Mette Obling Høeg is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Humanities. Her contact information includes phone +4535321224 and email metteobling@hum.ku.dk. She actively contributes to academic discourse through research, teaching, and institutional leadership in performance studies and arts education. Her research centers on theatre and performance processes as development and learning mechanisms in artistic and educational contexts, with special focus on the body's role in cognitive and memory processes. Theoretical frameworks include staging theory, dramaturgy, acting techniques, performativity theory, drama pedagogy, Applied Theatre, and interdisciplinary connections to pedagogy, sociology, psychology, design theory, philosophy of science, and embodied cognition. Her publication trajectory (2012-2022) reveals consistent exploration of artistic research methodology, embodied learning in performance, and intersections between art practice and entrepreneurship. Key recurring themes include practice-based research, devising processes, artistic entrepreneurship, and the application of embodied cognition theories to pedagogical contexts, demonstrating a commitment to bridging theoretical discourse with practical implementation. Scientific awards: No awards or honors were documented in the provided materials. Her institutional engagement demonstrates significant service through committee leadership and teaching innovation: Board member of the Cultural Heritage Doctoral School (since 2014) Member of the Institute Council for Arts and Cultural Studies (since 2013) External examiner for Theatre and Performance Studies, Dance & Dramaturgy (since 2011) Coordinator of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Teaching courses at University of Copenhagen (2015-2016) Member of KU's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Network (since 2014)

• Theatre for Social Change
• Metatheatre
• Theatre History
• +6 more

Dr. Jayna Gearhart Fitzsimmons serves as Assistant Professor of Theatre in the Theatre Department at Augustana University, where she has taught since 2010. She directs productions and instructs courses spanning acting, theatre history, new play development, improvisation, and theatre for social change, while also leading a January Interim global studies course on Central/Eastern European performance culture. Her academic credentials include: Ph.D. in Critical Studies in English Literature (2023) from University of South Dakota M.A. in Theatre (2009) from University of South Dakota B.A. in Theatre (2007) from Southwest Minnesota State University Her research examines metatheatre's intersection with social justice movements, analyzing audience-performance-text dynamics through experimental forms and classical adaptations. She actively explores how theatrical practice can drive societal transformation, particularly through non-traditional texts and inclusive staging methodologies. Her distinguished recognition includes: Regional Kennedy Center Honors spanning directing, script adaptation, collaborative devising, and DEI initiatives Kennedy Center Region 5 Road Warrior Award for faculty excellence in production leadership Dr. Fitzsimmons advises Augustana’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance and Brand Name Improv troupe while directing developmental work with national playwrights. As producing artistic director of Bare Bodkins Theatre Company since 2011, she partners with Sioux Falls Parks Department to present free Shakespeare performances in Falls Park, and collaborates with Dakota Academy of Performing Arts on youth Shakespeare and Plays for Living programs.