Davis & Elkins College Theatre & Film Program
GALLERY
The gallery below features all of the productions staged during my tenure at Davis & Elkisn College. In addition to these theatrical works, the department has also produced two movie pilots, a fundraising gala that served as a student's thesis, and numerous creative arts showcases.
This website highlights my own contributions. However, theatre is a collaborative art form, and none of this work would be possible without the efforts of my collaborators. I have credited my collaborators on show pages and through the inclusion of detailed programs. Five individuals deserve further acknowledgment. Adalia and Dr. Dan Engstrom have greatly expanded our design possibilities in costumes and scenery, respectively. In addition to her detailed scenic design and painting, Cindy Marie Martin is an exceptional choreographer. Her ability to be equal parts strict and supportive produces consistently strong results and even stronger experiences. Our musical director, Ms. Donna Baroudi Huffman, is not only a talented pianist but a dedicated music educator. When student interest led us to consider more musicals, Huffman went from musical directing one show every other year to directing three shows in 18 months. And last but not least, I'd like to recognize the Chair of the Theatre & Film Department, Lonnie Martin. He has contributed in invaluable ways to every one of the productions below, and I always look forward to our roles overlapping, whether that be co-advising a thesis or creating the publicity materials that he then distributes.
I include the title of "provisions" in my lists of secondary roles below. This is not a theatrical position, but rather my way of acknowledging the additional work required of a director in a small program. I write purchase orders, draft costume patterns, buy hair and makeup supplies, strike sets, pick up cast meals, organize cast parties, and address whatever other needs arise over the course of the production.
The other secondary roles listed do correlate with theatrical positions. Unlike directing, for which I receive a regular course release, these are largely uncompensated positions that I undertake to ensure quality productions and positive experiences for our students.
Actors' Showcase
In Progress
An hour of performance and design all themed around transformation. Marissa Mallow will focus on the transformative nature of costumes and makeup, presenting a design concept for Ride the Cyclone. Meanwhile, Mary Orndorff will transform herself through acting, song, and dance.
Primary Role: Thesis Advisor
Burial at Thebes
In Progress
By Seamus Heaney
A version of Antigone by Sophocles
An opportunity to celebrate highlander culture - not a far cry from Seamus Heaney’s Irish roots and core to our own local community. Alley seating will allow students to create in a more intimate space while also emphasizing the divide between our antiheroes.
Primary Role: Director
Secondary Roles: Poster Typography, Program Design, Props Design, Provisions, Puppet Design, Sound Effects, Thesis Advisor (Joseph Birchland - Lighting Design)
2025 - 2026
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
(Enchanted Edition)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Adapted for the Stage by Tom Briggs
From the Teleplay by Robert L. Freedman
After a daring, four-hander in the fall, we wanted a crowd-pleasing musical with a big ensemble to round out the season. Cinderella did just that, drawing our second-largest crowd to date and highlighting the talents of students and community members alike!
Primary Role: Director
Secondary Roles: Fight Choreography, Intimacy Direction, Faculty Lighting Advisor, Poster Typography, Program Design, Props Design, Provisions, Puppet Design, Sound Effects
Lizzie
By Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt and Tim Maner
This historic rock musical marked many firsts for our department, including the first mainstage studen lighting design and the first time students asked for an intimacy director early in the process. This latter request was heartening, as students both saw the value in intimacy direction and also felt able to advocate for themselves in the rehearsal process.
Primary Role: Faculty Lighting Advisor
Secondary Roles: Intimacy Direction, Program Design
2024 - 2025
Peter and the Starcatcher
A play by Rick Elice
Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Music by Wayne Barker
From flying cats to golden grottos, this production demonstrated that we don't need a lot of money for spectacular storytelling - just a strong ensemble, good lighting, and lots and lots of puppets.
Primary Role: Director
Secondary Roles: Fight Choreography, Intimacy Direction, Program Design, Props Design, Provisions, Puppet Design, Sound Effects
Game Over
A Night of Student One Acts
From genies to demons and farce to theatre of cruelty, this night had a little something for everyone. Our most student-driven show in years, featuring student playwrights, directors, designers, technicians, actors, and house management.
Primary Role: Artistic Director
Secondary Role: Thesis Co-Advisor (Star Eakle - Playwright/Director), One Act Director, Fight Choreography, Faculty Lighting Advisor, Poster Typography, Program Design, Props Design, Provisions, Sound Effects
The Crucible
By Arthur Miller
Miller's 1962 Salem is quick to punish both legally and physically. Add to this a destructive affair, and the I the line between intimacy and violence quickly blurs. For this production, we prioritized safety in all forms, focusing on consent, repeatability, and self-care.
Primary Roles: Fight Choreography & Intimacy Direction
Secondary Roles: Program Design, Faculty Props Advisor
2023 - 2024
Legally Blonde The Musical
Book by Heather Hach
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture
The quintessential contemporary musical - Legally Blonde features extravagant musical numbers, grand scene shifts, and over a hundred light cues! Our largest show and audience turnout to date.
Primary Role: Lighting Design
Secondary Role: Intimacy Direction, Poster Typography, Program Design
The Tempest
By William Shakespeare
The Tempest marked our first time working with heightened language with the new student cohort. This tight edit allowed those actors with speaking lines to explore scansion, the First Folio, and the interpretation of language. Meanwhile, the spirits embraced physical storytelling and feminist indie songs to complement the existing script.
Primary Role: Director
Secondary Roles: Lighting Design, Poster Typography, Program Design, Props Design, Provisions, Puppet Design, Script Edit, Sound Effects
2022 - 2023
Too Much Light
Makes the Baby Go Blind
By Greg Allen
A return to low-tech storytelling after the big spectacle of She Kills Monsters. The neofuturists embrace play and action over pretend in the high-speed tumble through 30 plays in 60 minutes. Performed in a three-quarter thrust for added audience interaction.
Primary Role: Director
Secondary Roles: Fight Choreography, Light Design, Poster Design, Program Design, Props Design, Provisions, Set Design, Sound Effects
The Actor's Nightmare
By Christopher Durang
A dark comedy about that classic theatre nightmare: trapped on stage without knowing your lines or even the show. As elucidated by director Emma Watson, a play "about faking it until you make it and the importance of holding to your own core values."
Primary Role: Thesis Advisor
She Kills Monsters
By Qui Nguyen
A great script for building community among our LGBTQ+ students and their allies. On stage, we took inspiration from 90's television drama for the real world while embracing the inclusivity and color of 90's rave culture in the imagined world of Dungeons and Dragons. Off stage, students would meet on their own to complete campaigns and
Primary Role: Director
Secondary Role: Intimacy Direction, Props Design, Provisions, Puppet Design, Sound Effects
Failure: A Love Story
By Philip Dawkins
Staged in an intimate alley-style space, this whimsical piece of storytelling had the full ensemble alternating between animals, narrators, clocks, puppeteers, and more!
Primary Role: Director
Secondary Roles: Choreography, Costume Shop Supervisor, Faculty Costume Advisor, Provisions, Puppet Design, Set Design, Sound Effects
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music and Lyrics by William Finn | Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman | Additional Material by Jay Reiss
For the first show I directed at D&E, we wanted a small musical that would allow for a flexible rehearsal process, contemporary costumes, a stationary set, and lots of joy. After meeting the students in the fall semester, we decided that the spelling bee fit the bill!
Primary Role: Director
Secondary Roles: Co-Choreographer, Costume Shop Supervisor, Provisions, Set Dresser, Sound Effects
Eurydice
By Sarah Ruhl
Director Lonnie Martin wove together filmed scenes, found media, and live performance in this exciting return to the theatre. I assisted by running rehearsals when he attended the Austin Film Festival, and it served as a great opportunity to get to know the six new students and handful of returning students involved in the show!
Primary Role: Assistant Director
Secondary Role: Costume Design, Fight Choreography, Faculty Makeup Advisor