Keepin’ Up with
Communication
Spring 2014
Communication Studies & Theatre Department at Kutztown University Alumni Newsletter
Pictures from Lizards...
Final Production
and Reception
A Letter from the Chair of the
Department, Dr. Claire Van Ens
Spring has finally arrived! As I’m certain you all
remember, the KU campus in spring is magnificent:
the sun warms, the trees bloom, and people seem
to smile much more readily. Spring signifies
rebirth, renewal and change. For the Department
of Communication Studies & Theatre, Spring
2014 marks a sad change - the closing of the
Kutztown University Theatre Department. William
Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the
men and women merely players: They have their
exits and their entrances.” This spring we celebrate
the 49 years of entrances in theatre at KU, at the
same time that we mourn its exit.
We have been fortunate to have wonderful faculty and students through the
years. Our remaining Theatre faculty are Johanna Forte, costume design,
Robert Smith, scene design and Roxanne Rix, director, who will all continue on
in the Communication Studies side of the department. I want to personally
thank them for their years of amazing service and their undying loyalty to the
program. They fought hard in their attempt to persuade the administration to
allow theatre to continue at KU. I would also like to thank Mary Ann SwordsGreene, our costume shop employee and Adam Kissinger, our scene shop
person. Both have been amazing to work with, and I wish them well on their
future pursuits.
The graduating theatre seniors also deserve huge kudos. They stayed with the
program and gave their souls to the performances these past four years. The
actor, Jeffrey Jones stated that “in theatre, you go out there and you are creating
a world for a moment that can actually have a real impact on people, [you]
present some kind of story that gives them something to think about when
they walk away.” For 49 years, theatre at KU accomplished exactly that for our
students, faculty and staff. For now, that part is over, however I hope that when
the economy improves, the administration will once more allow theatre at KU a
new entrance, for what is life without the arts.
Please send along your news, notes, and suggestions to gambler@kutztown.edu.
Theatre Productions
Black Comedy- Fall 2013
Lizards...- Spring 2014
On Saturday, April 26, the Theatre Department at Kutztown University held
its final performance of Lizards... written by Megan Mostyn-Brown. Theatre
department alumni and faculty were invited to this final production as
this is the last semester for the Theatre Department. Around 150 alumni
gathered to view the play.
After a short speech from retired chair of the department, Roberta Crisson,
Tyler Eckert (KU alum) proposed to his now-fiancé Kate Diem (Theatre
Alum ‘11) on stage.
Afterwards, alumni had a chance to mingle and reminisce at the reception.
Newly engaged, Tyler Eckert and Kate Diem
(Above) Kristen Scatton, Jim
Corrado, Matt Burns, Jen
Kurtz, Terri Tobin
Dorshimer, Pete Phillips
and Adam Kissinger pose
with masks from Comedy of
Errors. (Left) Theatre alumni
pose for a picture with some
faculty members.
Clockwise:(Above) Erin Dixon,
Senior Theatre Major, poses
with her family. Current chair
of the department, Claire Van
Ens takes a picture with retired
chair, Roberta Crisson.
(Right) Adam Kissinger, Pete
Phillips, Jaime Mohamdein, Jim
Corrado, and Matt Burns
reminisce on their college
years.
Photo credit: Bob Reineke
Photo credit: Ian Asher Smith
Alumni: Where are they now?
Marissa Hann graduated from Kutztown
University in 2010 with a B.A. in Speech Communications
and a minor in Public Relations. During her time at Kutztown,
she was active in Greek Life, Presidential Ambassadors and
the KU Foundation. Marissa has followed her passion for
communication by expanding her career in the areas of event
planning, public relations, and marketing.
Post graduation, Marissa worked as a Conference and Public
Relations Coordinator for an international consulting firm,
traveling throughout the US and Europe to meet with clients
and coordinate events. After being recruited at an industry
event, Marissa moved on to an integrated marketing agency,
working as a Public Relations Account Manager, achieving
exposure for brands through national media outlets. Currently,
Marissa is Senior Project Manager and Business Development
Lead at Forge3 in Bethlehem, PA. In this role, she works with
clients to leverage technology to grow their business. Whether
it is a website project, social media strategies, or other online
Erin McCole Cupp (BFA Theatre 1995)
saw the release of her
second novel, Don’t
You Forget About Me in
November 2013. The
novel is a suspense-thriller
available from Full Quiver
Publishing. Erin credits her
experience at KU’s Speech
& Theatre Department for
giving her a well-rounded
approach to literature.
Erin says, “I cherish the multi-disciplinary
opportunities I received through the now-defunct
Related Arts program. When I found that writing was
my passion in my senior year, I worried that I had gone
down the wrong path by choosing a Related ArtsTheatre major. However, as my experience in fiction
has grown, I see how well my education prepared me.
Every day I use what I learned when studying character
analysis in the costume shop with Professor Johanna
Forte and in Acting I with Dr. John Callahan. I’m
well-armed to tackle about plot structure and literary
history thanks to Dr. Eugene Huber. I’m also blessed to
have learned how to pick apart language and meaning
while in Readers Theatre with Dr. Gary Balfantz. Selfpromotion, self-motivation, professional behavior-so much of who I am as a writer comes from what I
learned at Kutztown.” Her first novel, Jane_E, Friendless
Orphan: A Memoir is also available on Amazon.
More about Erin’s books can be found on her website:
erinmccolecupp.com.
marketing initiatives, Marissa
advises clients on reaching target
audiences through innovative digital
platforms.
“The education I earned at
Kutztown has been instrumental
in my career,” said Hann. “The
knowledge I gained in the classroom
coupled with the leadership
opportunities provided on campus
instilled lifelong skills that have proven to be effective in my
career and volunteer engagements.”
Marissa lives in Wyomissing, PA with her fiancé and is the Public
Relations chair for the Junior League of Reading. Through the
Junior League, she works on community programs to foster the
self-esteem and leadership skills of local youth.
Lauren Roth
(‘03) received her
MFA in Performance
from the University
of Florida in 2006 and
then moved straight to
New York City. Over
the years, she took jobs
in Theater Management for what she calls “survival work” while building
her acting resume and eventually landing a full time job
managing Theater Operations at the Michael Schimmel
Center for the Arts at Pace University. She held that
position for nearly four years before leaving to pursue an
opportunity to work at the prestigious Lincoln Center for
the Performing Arts where she is currently the Manager
of Venue Sales for Concert Halls.
Roth is an Associate Artist with the Brooklyn based
theater company UglyRhino (uglyrhino.com). She is also
a Company Member of Project:Theater, a not-for-profit
corporation and proud member of ART/NY and Materials for the Arts, as well as a Performer/Writer/Director
for their monthly, site-specific production called Our Bar
(ourbarnyc.com).
Alumni: Where are they now?
Ashley Wutke (‘10) After graduation, Ashley
moved to South Korea to teach
English to young learners. Her
initial contract was for one
year, but after realizing how
much she enjoyed teaching,
she extended her contract for
another year. During her two
years in Korea, she was able
to travel to many beautiful
places including Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Singapore.
While vacationing in Bali, Ashley met her husband, Benji
and has since moved to Indonesia to teach there. Ashley
enjoys teaching English but also helps out with the school
musical drama. This year she is writing the script, co-writing
the songs, and helping to direct the musical. She is currently
working on her Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages. Ashley hopes to complete her Masters
within the next three years and move back to the United States
to teach and start a family.
Whitney Phelan
(‘09) After graduation, she moved
to Baltimore and was a house
manager for Adventure Theater in
Glen Echo, MD. She then moved to
lower Delaware as a stage manager
and stage hand for Delaware State
Fair and worked shows like Three
Days Grace, Ke$ha, and Alan
Jackson. Later she moved back
to Philadelphia to work as a stage
manager for a murder mystery theater company and
actress for the Garden State Discovery Museum in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Thanks to fellow class mate,
Becky Malkemes, in 2012 I became a stage manager for
American Theater Arts for Youth and have been lucky
enough to travel to 39 states bringing musical theater
to kids! In 2013, she was offered a stage manager
position with Sea World Parks and Entertainment in
San Antonio, Texas.
Tara Mitchell (‘08) Since graduation, she has freelanced as a make up artist with Abel Eye Photography
and D. Hilliard Designs while holding full time positions in telecomm marketing. She is a model/talent scouting
and marketing, and currently is assisting low income Philadelphians through city work. Sporadically, she works with
Metamorphosis Performing Cmopany with Jamie Mohamadein and even Mr. James Brown. She currently has a running
commercial in Reading for the Reading Eagle as well as a print ad. She also has a silent film “Conversations with my
Conscience” on IMDB and entered into the Cannes Film Festival. She was recently featured in Daily News Street Style in
December 2013.
Jacqueline Kay Knox (‘99) March 4, 1976 - July 4, 2007
It is with deep regret that I inform you that my daughter, Jackie, was killed July
4, 2007 by a drugged driver. She had just completed her first year of a three year
Master’s program at Cal Arts. When Jackie auditioned in NYC in 2006, she had offers
from eight schools and chose Cal Arts. Prior to that she had worked successfully
in Philadelphia for six years as part of the Vagabond Acting Troupe, etc. She had
also taught at an Independent Charter School and public school. She co-wrote,
directed, produced and acted in a show in Philadelphia that received a Barrymore
Nomination. When she was killed at age 31, she was employed by the City of Beverly
Hills; working at Greystone Mansion doing “The Lion King” at a summer theater. Cal
Arts did award her degree in 2009 when her class of 11 graduated. I went to Cal and
accepted it. My life is forever changed but Jackie has lifted me with many amazing
memories. I have created a scholarship at her high school through Dollars for
Scholars. It is given to a graduating senior persuing a higher education in the Arts. Her facebook page is still available
in memorial status so that all may see the wonderful life she did doing exactly what she wanted to do.
written by Kay L. Knox, Jackie’s Mom
Alumni: Where are they now?
Kutztown University Communication Studies and
Theatre Department alumni can be found all over
the world, contributing in many different ways. Do
you have an interesting alumni story to tell? Share
it with us at gambler@kutztown.edu.
Cynthia Angst (’80) Drama Teacher
at The Baldwin School in Bryn
Mawr, PA.
Diane Breininger (’75) retired high
school English, Speech & Theatre
Teacher
James Brendlinger (’94) Chairman of Arts and
Communication at Seminole
County Public Schools in
Winter Park, FL where he
teaches Acting, Directing, and
Stagecraft. He is the owner of
Penguin Point Productions, a
theatrical production company
dedicated to providing free
shared theatrical resources for schools,
churches and community theaters in Central
Florida. This summer he will be working
at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London
through a special program with the English
Speaking Union.
Faye Buckalew (’92) Supervisor Royalties-EMI/
UMG Transition Team at Universal Music
Group. Over the years, she has worked in
various fields: library assistant, research
assistant, supervising stage hand, public
relations associate, legal researcher, and
royalties administrator. And, yes, she really
does play the bagpipes.
Flora Buckalew (‘86) Liaison Officer for the
Department of Defense
Alicia Burke (’97) Product Manager, Credentials at
Project Management Institute
Michelle Bush (’96) Assistant Costume Designer
for Dancing with the Stars
Jason Small (’01) stage name: Jason Alan
Caine. He is the Manager at Global Digital
Communications for Verizon Enterprise
Solutions.
Marilyn (Dembowski) Cerase (’76) Office Admin
at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater in
VA Beach. She received the Tiffany Award
for outstanding performance when she was
employed by the American Red Cross Blood
Services.
Erin M
cCole Cupp (’95) Freelance writer. She
released her second novel in November 2013
“Don’t You Forget About Me,” a suspense
thriller.
Amy Cylinder (’08) Certified Zumba Instructor
and performer at the Players Club of
Swarthmore Community Theatre
Nicole D’Amico (’95) Registered Nurse at
Pottstown Memorial Medical Center
Desireé DeNicola (’69) retired teacher. Mayor of
the Borough of Roseto, PA since 2010.
Kate Diem (’11) Estimating Assistant at M. Cohen
and Sons. She also maintains a creative
outlet, stage managing small productions
throughout center city Philadelphia.
Karen (Schneller) Donaghy (‘94) Reading
Specialist at Willington Public Schools, CT.
She is married to Daniel Donaghy, KU alum,
and they have two daughters, Abigail (13) and
Eliza (5).
Terri (Tobin) Dorshimer (’05) Human Resources
at Common Wealth of PA
Tiffany Dow (’06) Executive Assistant at Bain
and Company, a global business consulting
firm. President of the Associate Board
(young professionals board) to Giordano
Dance Chicago, a world reknown jazz dance
company. (www.giordanodance.org). Started
a dance program at the Boys and Girls Clubs
of Chicago in March of 2014. She lives with
her black cat, Ninja.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Jason Small (‘01) He has pitched three tv shows
that all resulted in signed deals
with top production companies
or network, all based on mixed
martial arts. He has appeared on
soap operas more than 150 times
(acting site: www.jasonalancaine.
com), He owned his own digital
agency with offices on 57th street
in Manhattan and clients that
included People’s Choice Awards and Proctor & Gamble. Now
he is the Manger, Global Digital Communications for Verizon
Enterprise Solutions. You can see more about his background
at www.linkedin.com/in/profilejasonsmall/
Desiree DeNicola (‘69) had
18 different types of work, English, Drama
& Journalism teacher, newspaper columnist,
newspaper ad layout, newspaper tour guide,
WLVT-TB (PBS) Ready to Learn Program
Director, Adopt a Highway Participant, day care
provider, elder care provider, Majestic Athletic
Wear e-com coordinator, Kirkridge secretary &
event coordinator, security guard, student teacher,
SAT verbal review tutor, Roseto summer recreation
coordinator, notary public, Dotta Chrysler Jeep
secretary, Mayor of the Borough of Roseto,
motivational guest speaker, and Cat in the Hat for
several weeks each year for Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
“Now what do you want to be when you grow up?”
Jere Williams (‘94) moved to New York
in 1996 to pursue
his work as an actor.
Notable acting
credits: Playing David
Frost in the first New
York revival of Peter
Morgan’s FROST/
NIXON, appearing
in Nicholas Martin’s acclaimed revival of Tennessee
Williams’ CAMINO REAL at Williamstown
Theatre Festival. He plans to be married to Tim
Hadley in 2015. He has two cats, Victor and
Sebastian, adopted in 2008.
Wendy Mirto
(‘09) Since graduation has performed
in the Sound of Music as Elsa, Steel Magnolias, as Mj Lynn at
Forge Theatre in Phoenixville, MacBeth at the Drameturgo The
Barn Playhouse in Jeffersonville and currently Two Gentlemen
of Verona at Playcrafters of Skippack. She directed One Flew
Over the Cukoo’s Nest at Forge Theatre and will direct The
Fully Monty for June 2014. Wendy has developed a theatre
program at Harrison Morton Middle School in Allentown in
2009. She taught and directed for the school until 2011. The
program, however, is still going thanks to a very dedicated
teacher. Wendy also taught drama as an elective at Roberto
Clemente Charter School and offered Drama Club as an after
school activity.
Alumni Editorial: James Brendlinger writes about
the end of Theatre at KU
RIP KU Theatre,
1965-2014
written by James Brendlinger,
Class of 1994
W
hen I started attending
Kutztown University in 1990,
it was my intention to become a
publicist. I didn’t get involved in any
clubs or activities that first semester,
but signing up for an elective Related
Arts course with Professor Johanna
Forte was my first introduction to
the theater program at KU. When I
took a required Oral Interpretation
class with Dr. Gary Balfantz the next
semester, I knew I wasn’t going to be
a publicist after all. And by the time
I was a senior, directing The Purpose
of the Moon under the advisement of
Professor Roberta Crisson, I knew that
I would have a life in the theatre.
I’ve been teaching high school theatre
for twenty years, and I have owned my
own production company for eight—
and every single day I use the things
I learned in the theatre program at
my alma mater. I wish Professor Forte
could see the wardrobe at Lake Howell
High School in Winter Park, Florida,
organized and managed according to
the principles I learned when she was
my mentor. I wish that Gary Balfantz
and Roberta Crisson could attend
a performance of one of my plays
here, so that they would see how I’ve
applied what they taught me about
play production.
Getting involved in theater at
Kutztown gave me the confidence I
needed to connect with the University
James Brendlinger (left)
poses with friends at the
Theatre reception.
community in other ways: I became
a DJ at WRKU-FM, wrote a weekly
column for The Keystone, performed
at the Old Bear’s Den Coffee House,
and networked with other theater
students with whom I have continued
to collaborate for two decades.
Working in the costume room,
auditioning for plays, traveling to
conferences and competitions, and
eventually directing my own play in
Schaeffer Auditorium’s Little Theatre
are some of my most treasured
memories of college.
When I began applying for teaching
jobs in 1994, it was this wealth of
Kutztown theatrical experiences that
got me my first job. What interviewers
saw—what KU gave me to show—
was that I had worked on traveling
children’s plays; I had collaborated
with the art department on publicity
projects; I had worked backstage in
four different performance venues on
campus and performed onstage all
over the country; my professor had
led our class in creating a collection of
performance narratives that became
one of the first published studentgenerated texts about HIV awareness
and prevention; and much more. I
will always be grateful to the theater
department for preparing me to be
a teacher, producer, performer, and
technician.
So after almost fifty years of creative
performance, there is no longer a
theatre major at Kutztown. It’s too late
for protest—but just about the right
time for a eulogy. While being a KU
theater major is no longer an option,
students can still take an active part in
keeping drama alive at the University.
Sunshine Players bring educational
theatre to underprivileged children in
local schools, and Perforum (which
was Readers Theatre back when I was
in school) is a club offering diverse
opportunities in oral interpretation,
storytelling, poetry slams, and improv.
And not to sound too revolutionary—
but you could also start your own
theater group, whether it’s a legitimate
drama club or a guerilla theatre
organization. Get involved with
local community theatres and make
sure everyone there knows you are
representing KU. Volunteer to help
with a high school play or a church
pageant. And slowly but surely show
this one important thing to the
powers that be: that a truly world class
University--if that’s what Kutztown
wants to be—needs to offer a wellrounded arts education, one that
includes a theatre major.
I hope I live to see the theatrical
renaissance of Kutztown University.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Eva Wasko
, After
graduating in spring
2011, Eva moved to New
York City, where she
started working in public
relations. She spent a
year representing luxury
hotels and restaurants,
then switched paths and
started working for global Eva Wasko (right) poses with
Eric Eldred, class of 2013, at the
PR agency Cohn & Wolfe, Theatre reception.
where she now works with
national consumer brands
such as Smucker’s, 3M, Ubisoft, Colgate and Microsoft.
Working in PR led to some interesting experiences,
from promoting an 8-foot Pillsbury Doughboy on Fox
& Friends to testing 3M car care products with Atlanta
Falcons’ linebacker Sean Weatherspoon.
Putting her theatre experience to good use, she spent
her free time auditioning in the city and working
on a few film and commercial projects on the side including a horror film for Chiller TV that kept her in
head-to-toe prosthetic makeup for 48 hours (ouch!)
and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that finally let her use
Alba Emoting outside of class. Six months ago, Eva
decided it was time to try a different coast, and left
Manhattan to head to Los Angeles, where she’s now
an Account Executive in Cohn & Wolfe’s LA office,
networking and seeking out potential work in the film
industry.
Amy Cylinder
(‘08)
After graduation (and a briefbut-wonderful stint working
at Walt Disney World for a
semester. Seriously, people
- Disney College Program is
the best!), Amy joined the
adult world and got a day job
in a cozy cubicle at a benefits
office. For those of you who knew her during her Junior
and Senior year, she just got engaged to that nice Jewish
boy she was dating (I live in Paoli now. If you’re local,
come visit)! She is now a certified Zumba instructor and
is looking forward to acquiring her first gig. She is also
a seasoned veteran performer at the Players Club Of
Swarthmore community theatre in Swarthmore, PA.
Brian Trupp (‘82) is a teacher of TV
Production, English,
Speech and Theatre at
Eastern Lebanon County
School District. Brian
received his Master’s
Degree from Kutztown
in TV Production in
1985. He has won two
local Cable Ace Awards
for a documentary video
production, and he has also directed the high
school’s fall plays and spring musicals.
Jen Jaynes (‘07) Since graduation in 2007, Jen Jaynes has been quite the busy bee! Following graduation from
K.U. she apprenticed with Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem where she furtherdeveloped her interest in physical theatre which was sparked by Dr. James Brown (aka
J.B.) while taking courses in Kutztown’s Theatre Department. In December in 2013
she completed her Masters in Theatre at Villanova University where she was an Acting
Scholar and received the Sally Curley Service Award for her service to the graduate
theatre department. Her academic thesis focused on Steele MacKaye, a late 19th century
American actor, director, and inventor who brought the Delsarte acting technique to
the states from France in the 1870s. Her final directing project was a commedia dell’arte
inspired piece which combined her love of physical theatre, audience interaction,
and general debauchery. Recently she directed The Mystery of Edwin Drood (the
musical) for The Masque of La Salle University as well as Peter Pan (the musical) at
the Temple Sinai Players. She will be celebrating her 7 year anniversary with Without A Cue Productions, a Philadelphiabased interactive dinner theatre company for which she is now both an actor and Sales Director. Jen also has the pleasure
of spreading the good news of theatre as a teaching artist throughout the Philadelphia area. She continues to audition
and direct throughout the region, and her love and passion for theatre was greatly influenced by her time at Kutztown
University.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Michelle Lynette Bush is an award
winning Costume Designer
and Stylist based in Los
Angeles who designs for film,
television, commercials, music
videos, and red carpet events.
Her passion for costume
design began in college while
she was earning her B.A.
in Theatre from Kutztown
University in Pennsylvania.
After graduation she moved
to Chicago and became a fixture on their exciting and
thriving theatre scene. While in Chicago, she costume
designed over 40 live plays in a 5 year period of time and
worked at world renowned theatres such as The Goodman,
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and The Steppenwolf.
Michelle’s dedication to the art of costume design made
her yearn to explore the craft in new mediums, such as
film and television. She moved to Los Angeles in 2003
and immediately began costume designing independent
films and working as an Assistant Costume Designer to
celebrity stylist Jen Rade on commercials, music videos, and
red carpet events. In the fall of 2010, Michelle joined the
costume design team at Dancing With The Stars, while they
were in their 11th season of the hit series and she continued
working with them through their 15th season. Michelle
has recently returned to the commercial world, costume
designing commercials for top notch advertising agencies.
Check out her website at michellelynettebush.com.
Matthew Fulkerson (‘13) is currently the
Associate Marketing Director for MCPS For Campgrounds
in New Berlin, PA. He has been performing shows at the
Courtyard Theater in Sellinsgrove, PA. He just recently
performed the musical Rent as Roger Davis and in October,
he had the title role in Sweeney Todd. He has moved
from Trout Run and now is living in Lewisburg with his
significant other, Val Freeman, and they are having a baby
in December. He is currently working on the musical 1776
as Edward Rutledge, delegate from South Carolina.
Kim Stahler
(‘89) is currently the Instruction/
Reference Librarian at Reading Area Community College.
In 2011, she married her husband John. Kim loves helping
community college students, often first generation higher
learners as she was herself, and seeing their academic skills
blossom.
Mike F. Smith
graduated with honors from
Kutztown University in 2011
with a B.S. in Psychology
– Clinical/Counseling
and a B.A. in Theatre with
4 Concentrations. After
Kutztown, he went on
to Shippensburg University to pursue an M.S. in
Psychological Science. He expects to finish in 2014, as
he has completed all of his Master’s coursework and is
currently finishing his thesis. While at Shippensburg,
Mike continued to be involved in theatre: writing/
directing A Day at the Office and playing Elvis in
Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Mike keeps busy with his
many research projects; in May of 2013, he presented
the results one of his projects at the 25th Annual APS
Conference in D.C. Mike is currently working at New
Visions, Inc., where he helps people with mental stress
and struggle recover and return to their lives. Mike
loves cats.
Tad Schlegel. Since graduating from KU in
2008 Tad›s life has really changed.
He has given his life to Christ,
which has made him a new person
compared to who he once was on
campus. He has since been using
what he has learned from KU
and Clown School to serve Jesus
through ministering to children
and youth. He has also been
blessed with the opportunity to go
to Haiti and serve the people after
the earthquake. He is currently starting a new journey
with God by making his way to becoming a youth
pastor.
Tad has also been blessed with meeting the beautiful
angel that he is going to marry in 2015, Lauren Hintz.
Since meeting her they have gone through a lot of stuff
that they don’t teach you at KU, but with God’s help
they are stronger as a couple. So since he left KU in
2008, God has truly changed his life for the better!
Her other interests include public libraries, vegan and
raw food, animal rescue, fountain pen collecting and
letter writing, and local history especially the Carsonia
Park amusement park. Kim also serves as the VP for
the county system board of public libraries.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Dan Evans (‘95) does freelance work in on air
promotions.
Drew Fredericks (’93) Director at County of
Lancaster Youth Intervention Center
Katharine Ferguson (’04) teacher of ESL, Social
Studies & Theatre for the Aarhus Academy
for Global Education. She currently resides
in Denmark, but she has taught and lived
in Japan, Texas, and Belgium.
Peggy(Hunt) Gernerd (’82) Co-owner with
husband, Eric Gernerd, of Maggie Spike/
Miss Maggie
Kristi Good (’03) Adjunct Professor at Carnegie
Mellon University School of Drama
Matthew V. Gotwalt (’91) Company Show
Manager/Wardrobe Supervisor at
American Music Theatre in Lancaster, PA
Kellie (Coffman) Hersch (‘92) VP at Audiobahn,
Inc. in Pottstown, PA. Her husband,
Tony, started the company, which handles
audio, video and stage lighting mostly
for churches. Together, they have three
children ages 21, 18, and 11.
Elaine Hilbert (’97) Art Teacher at Fleetwood
Area High School. She serves as a scenic
designer and director for FHS since 1999.
Kelli (Schwabe) Keegan (’94) She worked as an
artist on clothing from 1995 - 2000. She
currently is a stay at home mom and sells
handmade/artisian skirts for Charley Girl
Designs. She has two children, Karlene,
age 7, and Colin, age 5.
Lauren Krause (’12) Adolescent Counselor at
Lehigh Valley Hospital. She performs
with DanceETHOS in the Lehigh Valley
Area, and she does freelance modeling.
Ken Lager (’95) Rigging Installation Supervisor
at Pook Diemont & Ohl, Inc.He is the
Costume Shop Supervisor at the Public
Theatre , NYC. With his wife Tiia, they
have a four-year-old son, Cooper.
Rev. Annie (Stear) Lawrence (’90) NYC
Wedding Officiant. Meeting and
greeting couples, listening to their
love story, writing and officiating their
ceremony, and holding the space for
ritual uses all my skills from my Related
Arts Degree in Theatre, Dance, and
Literature at Kutztown. I’m proud to
be an ally and advocate for Marriage
Equality, and have the honor of wedding
same-sex couples from around the
world. (www.revannielawrence.com)
Deborah (Morello) Linnell (’01) Previously
worked in dinner theatre, then English
teacher who worked with musical
productions.
Stuart MacLelland (’84) Professor and Chair
at City University of New York
Eileen Miller currently doing wardrobe for the
Broadway production of The Cripple
of Inishmaan starring Daniel Radcliffe.
She has supervised the costuming
and wardrobe departments for over
20 Broadway productions, as well as
designing costumes in regional theatres.
Barry Minora (’80) Physician for Prime Med.
Co. also currently owns a private 70 seat
theatre in North Scranton that opened
in 2006. It’s home to the Scranton Public
Theatre and the Jason Miller Playwrights
Project. He is married with three
children and three grandchildren.
Wendy Mirto (’09) English teacher at Roberto
Clemente Charter School
Maria (DeVera) Mogford (’96) English and
Education Professor at
Albright College. Along
with her husband Tim, also
KU alum, they own and
operate their own performing
arts theatre school with
three locations in Berks
County. Together, they also
produce, direct, and choreograph the
school musicals at Holy Guardian Angels
Regional School in Reading, PA.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Dan Evans
(‘95) has been working in the TV
industry since graduation from KU. He started off in
production and switched to on air promotions. He
worked for a few networks and decided to go freelance
before his daughter
was born, in order
to have a more
flexible schedule.
He currently splits
his time between
New York and
Philadelphia.
When he’s not
working, he’s
a single Dad
spending time
with his kids or
girlfriend.
Jennifer Kurtz (‘05) Since graduating in
spring of 2005 Jen has been
an active performer. From
2005-06 Jen was an intern
at Mike Lemon Casting in
Philadelphia and studied
with EgoPo Classic Theatre
studying the Viewpoints
technique. Since 2006
she’s performed in various productions around the
Lehigh Valley with White Rose Productions, The
Pennsylvania Playhouse, Civic Theatre, The Crowded
Kitchen Players, Rainbow Players, and Allentown
Public Theatre. She’s been seen on screen in the
indie film “The Despair.” Most recently Jen practiced
improvisation with The Associated Mess from 20092012, and misses it dearly. Jen still “dabbles” with APT
and other local theaters on occasion but focuses on
her full time job in her favorite role as a mother to her
5-year-old son, Rivers. She is currently a lead teller at
Wells Fargo and happily living in Emmaus with Rivers
and her boyfriend Will (whom she met at the bank).
RIP KU theatre, I will always hold my memories dear
to my heart.
Terri (Tobin) Dorshimer started at
KU as a spunky but naïve kid
in the Theatre program with a
concentration in Acting in the
Fall of 2001. Things really picked
up for her in the Spring of 2003
when she made her mainstage
debut as a member of the
“Chorus” in Iphigenia at Aulis,
directed by Roxane Rix. (Her
parents were not appreciative of
the second row seats for such an “intense” show.) At the
same time, she took a Sociology class – the only class
her mother suggested she take – and loved it so much
that she decided to double major in Sociology. Later
she dropped the Sociology major in favor of a minor.
Another class she took that Spring was Costuming,
which she really looked forward to because she has
always loved clothing and had a basic knowledge of
sewing. Mrs. Forte was impressed with Terri’s ability to
teach other students how to sew during that class and
offered her a coveted position as a Costume Shop CoManager to start the next semester. She was dedicated
to this position through the end of her career at KU.
Along the way she added a concentration in Costuming
and designed costumes for her senior project, for which
she believes Professor Smith reluctantly gave her a
passing grade. She was cast in the role of “Glinda the
Good Witch” and designed costumes for the Sunshine
Players’ Spring 2004 production of the musical OZ!
student-directed by Brian Walsh. Her final performance
was “Adriana” in Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors
directed by James Brown in the Spring of 2005. She
graduated December 17th, 2005.
After graduation, Terri immediately returned home
and slept for an entire month. In April, she started
her first professional job, working in the corporate
world. She landed her second job in Staffing a year later
that steered her into a career in Human Resources.
Her current position is with the State in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania. In her free time, she enjoys teaching
Sunday school as well as sewing and making jewelry,
both skills she learned at KU and occasionally sells
jewelry and sewing services. She would love a wellpaying job designing jewelry but enjoys a steady
paycheck. Terri trained and completed a half-marathon
in Virginia Beach on March 17th, 2013, which was a
great experience that she hopes to never suffer through
again.
Alumni: Where are they now?
SaraJane (Stengle) Munshower (’70) Spiritual
Companion/Director, Supply Pastor. She chairs
the BOD of Oasis Ministries in Camp Hill. See
www.oasismin.org.
Linda (Curreri) Nicholas (’90) Project
Coordination, Sr. at Brown Brothers
Harriman. She is married to James, and
together they have two daughters, Emily age 3
and Carly age 2.
Mitch Owgang (’81) Supervising Producer/Great
Performances at Thirteen in New York
Whitney Phelan (‘09) Stage Manager at Sea World
Parks and Entertainment in San Antonio, Texas
Vera Pizzarelli (’87) Head Props Master for
National tours for over twenty years. She is
currently touring with “The Book of Mormon.”
Michael Pladus (’80) Superintendent at School
District of Upper Dublin
Matt Ragan (’95) Director of Learning and
Development at GMAC Mortgage. With his
wife Cynthia, they have a 3 year-old daughter,
Ryan.
Andrea (Lyne) Reichenfeld (’90) Health Coach
at Cigna Insurance. With husband, Doug
Reichenfeld, they have three children, Evan,
Elise, and Trey.
Julianne Remus (’07) After graduation, she taught
English in Hong Kong for a year. She then
moved to NYC, received a Master of Science
in Communication Sciences and Disorders
from NYU in January 2014. Although she
never officially worked in theatre, she
did stage manage one of Trystin Bailey’s
shows in New York, pro bono!
Shoshana Roberts (’12) Actress & Nanny
Lauren Roth (’03) Manger of Venue Sales for
Concert Halls at Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts
Darlene Royer (’86) Paralegal at Blakinger, Byler,
and Thomas, P.C.
Anne M
arie Scalies (’99) District Manager at
Arch Telecom. She started Mazeppa
Production sin Philadelphia in 2011.
The production of Spring Awakening
was named Top Musical of 2012 by
Philadelphia Weekly, in which she was
Assistant Director.
John Scannell (’69) National
Literacy Consultant at
Pearson
Kristen Scatton (’07) Secretary
to the Office of Admissions
at University of the Arts in
Philadelphia
Diana (Connolly) Schestok (‘99) Credit Analyst
at Certainteed Corporation. In her spare
time, she participates in local community
theatre and records electronic music with
her husband, Ken (KU class of ‘00). Together
they have two children, Aidan and Leala.
Tad Schlegel (’08) Youth Pastor
DanaJ. Smith (’95) Senior Pastor at Immanuel
Church in Chelmsfold, MA.
MikeF. Smith (’11) works at New Visions Inc.
and is finishing his Masters in Psychological
Science at Shippensburg this year.
Jonathan Solinsky (’04) Project Director at Evoke
Health in Philadelphia
Kim Stahler (’89) Instruction/Reference
Librarian at Reading Area Community
College
Tommy Walker (’02) TV/Film/Stage Actor in
NYC. He left a three and a half
year run in NEWSical: The Music
Off-Broadway to pursue some
Guest Starring opportunities
on TV as well as the upcoming
summer blockbuster “Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
Jere Williams (’94) Administrative Assistant at
Forest Laboratories, Inc. in New York.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Matthew V. Gotwalt
(‘91) attended
Kutztown University from 1987-1991. Graduating
with a BFA in Communication Design and a minor in
Theater, he sent out resumes for both fields. With his
first professional job, which was a theatre job, he found
his direction. He first worked as Stage Manager for
The Commander Resorts in Ocean City, MD for the
summer of 1992.
After that he worked as Stage Manager at Rainbow
Dinner Theatre in Paradise, PA from around ‘93-’95.
At Rainbow, he was able to stage manager, act on stage,
greet buses as well as be part of the service staff. He did
have the opportunity to use his Graphic Design part
of his degree while designing some of their seasonal
brochures and logos as well.
Margaret (Hunt) Gernerd (‘82)
Margaret, or Peggy, married her husband, Eric Gernerd,
who she met while attending Kutztown. He was a
Telecommunications major at KU. They have two sons
together and reside in Oley, PA.
After graduating from KU, Peggy performed in bands
and plays in the Lehigh Valley area and studied acting
at Gately Poole, Musical Theatre at HB Studios and
movement at the Actor’s Movement Studio in NYC.
She also trained and worked with Bill George at People’s
Theatre (now Touchstone) in Bethlehem. Along with
her husband, they perform as Maggie Spike (alternative
folk music with Celtic and world rhythms). They have
produced three albums. She also does cabaret for kids
as “Miss Maggie Sings!” and have one that they also
produced “Stay Healthy with Miss Maggie.”
Both acts have perfomed extensively throughout the
regional area. Some of the highlights include Musikfest
and Steelstacks. Miss Maggie performs at public
libraries, elementary schools and pre-schools. Maggie
Spike is currently working on the next CD which will
consist of Celtic-inspired original and traditional music.
Check out their website: www.maggiespike.com or
www.missmaggiesings.com
From there, he continued on to do a 6 month contract
for Jean Ann Ryan Productions as a technician aboard
the S.S.Norway. Returning home from the high seas, he
was fortunate enough to go back to Rainbow Dinner
theatre again as Stage Manager, actor “Jack of all trades.”
He was approached in early 1996 about an exciting
opportunity to be part of the ground breaking team for
a new theater opening in Lancaster. American Music
Theatre is a celebrity concert venue that also produces
their own original productions throughout the season.
Since then, he has been Company Show Manager
for every original in-house show (45 and counting)
produced by AMT. Wardrobe Supervisor was added to
his job title several years later and some AMT shows he
is also collaborating on the Costume Design as well as
Company Show Managing and Wardrobe Supervising.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Elizabeth Yoder: Kutztown’s Theatre program
prepared her for a successful career
I spent many years in college and like
many of you; some of them were the best
years of my life. At the time, I couldn’t
see myself branching out into this big
world, but what a big world it is. Since
graduation from Kutztown in 2006,
I have been happily employed within
theatre.
I spent two seasons at traditional
theatres here in the Northeast. I started
as a paid resident Production Intern at
the Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca,
NY. What I gained there was real world
experience and the knowledge that
the professors I’d had at Kutztown had
highly prepared me for a professional career (and that
somewhere along the way, I had actually listened in
class). While in Ithaca, I was asked to stage manage 6
shows, 2 being mainstage productions, and was able to
work on lighting and sound, as well.
Following the KTC, I decided I wanted a fully-rounded
theatre background, and Merrimack Repertory Theatre
in Lowell, MA, was able to provide that to me. That
was my next stop, for a full season as their Lighting
and Sound Assistant. Working on a team of 2, I had
a great experience at MRT. I took on one show as the
Sound Designer and Master Electrician.
Following those two theatres, I went on to work for
Vee Corporation with the national tour of My Little
Pony Live and two international shows of Sesame
Street Live. My position on tour was Sound Engineer
and Assistant Electrician. Tour was a wonderful
time and was run as if a stage manager’s mind had
organized it. My company had four tours of the same
equipment going out all at the same time, so we had all
of our equipment and road cases labeled by colors. It
was my dream come true, since I love organizing.
At one point, I decided to make a big change. I have
now been working at seas as a backstage manager and
Automation Rigging Technician for Carnival Cruise
Lines for the past 5 ½ years. I run the rigging on
board major cruise liners, and I also run the floor as
needed and clear/load/unload the pyrotechnics. Each
ship has 5-7 shows per ship, so no one
show ever stays loaded in. With my
ability to run shows fast with little to no
handover, my company now uses me
to float around from ship to ship to fill
in, including many full ship charters.
Last year I had the rare opportunity
to spend four months in the head
office scheduling all of the travel and
accommodations for all of our “Fly
On” performers (comedians, jugglers,
feature singers, illusionists, etc.) for
the entertainment department. This
year I have been back with technical
entertainment and I am working in
the office on crew travel, emergencies,
vendor paperwork, dry docks (when we pull the
ship out of the water) and issues within the technical
entertainment aspects of the ship. There are 24 ships in
the fleet with many maintenance things that need to be
handled, and I work with the ships to get things sorted
and fixed as quickly as possible. I believe this year will
bring great things, as I look at where my career may
take me within Carnival Cruise Lines.
That is where I am now; with a path that I hope leads
me to everything I hope for and more. While I took
my time in college and Prof. Smith may have asked if
I was ever planning to graduate; I am sure my parents
asked the same question, I wouldn’t change the time or
experience I had at Kutztown one bit.
So while I am not yet married (just got engaged), and
don’t have any children yet, I have been fortunate
to travel all over the world and get paid to do it. I
have also met and worked with people from over 59
different nationalities. I am truly blessed. The people
and experiences I had at Kutztown have helped shape
me into the person I am today, and I am proud to
say that I am a graduate of the theatre program at
Kutztown University. Thank you to Robert Smith,
Johanna Forte, Roxane Rix, and James Brown for
everything you have done for me and everyone you
have taught over the years. And without Prof. Kern, I
wouldn’t value some life lessons, handshakes, or apples
as I do.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Peter Phillips
Since leaving
Kutztown Peter Phillips has worked
as an actor, director, and stage
manager for Elmo’s World Live!
at Sesame Place. He then moved
on to selling cars at Sloane Toyota
of Devon. For the last year and a
half Peter has been a Technology
Specialist at Ardmore Toyota in
Ardmore, PA.
Shoshana Roberts (‘12) moved to New
York City three days after graduating
Kutztown. Since then, she has been
loving life. She is a nanny for 10
families in NYC. On top of that, after
doing some TV pilots and short films,
she recently signed with a manager for
her acting. She has big plans that are
already being set in motion. On top of
that, she is a theatre critic for Theasy.
com. Roberts lives with her boyfriend
of almost 2 years, and she is set for success between her
career and personal life. (www.shoshanabroberts.com)
Caryl Ann (Nardiello) Tolchinsky (‘87) After her battle with breast cancer, she co-
authored a book with her son to provide answers that other kids may have when their parent is going through a
similar battle. The book came out of a personal journal kept between the two of them. The book can be purchased
on Amazon and the proceeds are going to Memorial Breast Cancer Services, the center where she received
her treatment. They’ve been going to speak at elementary schools about the importance of expressing feelings
through writing and use of a journal and those talks have been very well received. One can find their book on
Amazon.com. It is called “Dear Cancer, You Messed with the Wrong Mom.” Or check out their website at www.
MessedWithTheWrongMom.com. She is currently the Assistant Athletic Director at Nova Southeastern University
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Vera Pizzarelli (‘87) started out in the Speech and Theatre Dept. getting bit by the “technical theatre bug”
through great teachers like Dr. Reinecke, Dr. Callahan, Roberta Crisson, Dr. Huber and
Johanna Forte. Through these professors and various others such as Dr. Bette Reagan, she was able
to enroll in the URTAs which eventually led to her Assistantship at the University of
Illinois. It was there that she was able to master her craft in Theatre and graduated with an
MFA in Fine Arts with a specialization in Properties in 1991.
In 1992 Vera got her IATSE union stagehand card in her local in Ct. Since then she has primarily been on the road for 20 + years with National tours as the Head Props Master. She has
toured with such hits as “Chicago,” “Dame Edna,” “Proof,” “Allergist Wife,” “the Graduate,” “Spamalot,” “Next to Normal”
and currently is with “The Book of Mormon”. She has also toured with many bombs! But, that’s the beauty of Theatre!
Her Broadway credits include many of the above listed but also “Julius Caesar,” “A Little NIght Music,” “Stickfly,” “Evita!”
and “Red” which was probably one of her most rewarding shows to have the privilege to work on.
On a personal note, she is married to Maggie who is an acupuncturist and has a successful business in their town of
Niantic, CT. She has amazing neighbors who constantly continue to help take care of their house and she lives in a
magical place called “Pine Grove”.
She has amazing friends that she has met in this business and has had the opportunity to travel to every state in the
country except for Montana. She has been to Asia, Australia and all over Canada through her theatre experiences.
Her future plans include going back to school and getting her Antiques Appraisals license and continuing her theatre and
writing.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Kristen Scatton (‘07)
Following a move to Philadelphia
in 2008 and many other
unsuccessful attempts to write the
Great American Novel, Kristen
combined her loves of writing
and theater and began focusing
on playwriting. To date, her work
has been staged in Philadelphia,
New Jersey, and Seattle, WA,
including a production of her 10-minute play The
Last Man on Earth as part of Luna Theater Company’s
FUTUREFEST in the 2013 Philadelphia International
Festival of the Arts. Professionally, she has been a
member of the Philadelphia Dramatists Center since
2009, serving in the past as Board Secretary and Board
President, and currently serving as Communications
Manager. She is an MFA candidate in Temple
University’s Playwriting program, and is employed by
the University of the Arts as the Secretary to the Office
of Admissions.
Kirby Sybert is in NYC working as a
production assistant on the TV show Elementary
during the week and playing with two bands on the
weekends.
Sarah Griswold
(‘09)
After Kutztown, Sara enrolled at
Empire Beauty School in Reading
and finished the cosmetology
license program in May 2012;
she was awarded her license
in September 2012. Sara also
completed their Educator of
Cosmetology program and was
awarded the Educator of Cosmetology license in June
2013. Since 2009, she has done makeup for various
special occasions, weddings, and photoshoots and
participated in two separate competitions, earning
second place in a Halloween-themed fashion show and
third in a local makeup competition. Currently, she is
a stylist in a small salon and pursuing opportunities
to work as a stylist and makeup artist for film and
photography.
Jen Santos
has kept an active theatre
schedule since obtaining
her theatre degree in
2009. She has worked with
numerous Lehigh Valley
based theatre companies
including Allentown Public Theatre, Firebird
Productions, Pennsylvania Youth Theatre, Moravian
College Theatre Co., Insomniak Theatre Co., and more
both on stage and off. Putting her love of fashion to
good use, she has costume designed several shows,
including productions of Crimes of the Heart, Cabaret,
No Exit, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, and Romeo & Juliet. On stage, she has
appeared in over a dozen plays and musicals. Some of
her favorite credits include Beth in A Lie of the Mind,
Mephistophilis in Dr. Faustus, Puck in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, Lily St. Regis in Annie, and Van’s Sister
in Dog Sees God. Jen has been exploring her voice as a
playwright, having written several sketches and plays.
Her first play, Dinner with Marney, was produced by
Allentown Public Theatre in 2012 and received an
honorable mention for “Best Show of 2012” by Lehigh
Valley Stage. Her second play, Sensitivity Training, was
produced by APT this past summer. Presently, Jen is a
catering coordinator with Wegmans Food Markets by
day and an improv actress by night, performing with
The Associated Mess improv comedy troupe every
other Saturday night at the Artsquest Steel Stacks
center in Bethlehem. She passes her love of comedy and
making stuff up on to her students at the Pennsylvania
Youth Theatre, where she coaches their student based
improv comedy troupe.
Cami Miller (‘96) works at Walt Disney World
as an Actress/Vocalist and at Capones Dinner Theatre
as an Actress/Vocalist.
Alumni: Where are they now?
Lindsey Eck (‘07) After graduation from
Kutztown, Lindsey enrolled in
the Disney College Program.
Now, she is currently holding
down three jobs. She is a
paraprofessional for Exeter
School District in PA, a lead sales
associate at FYE in the Berkshire
Mall, and she has been a seasonal
character performer in Disney
World since 2007. She plans on
continuing her Disney job by moving down to Florida
with her boyfriend, Peter. She is very proud of her
character performing in Disney. Although she is not
married yet and doesn’t have any children, she plans
on experiencing those things in the future. “I can’t wait
until everything fully falls into place,” said Eck.
Martha (Macdonald) Hunter
(‘71) is currently
retired, but over the
last thirty years she has
worked in a number
of early ed learning
centers. Martha entered
the Kutztown Drama
department sure that
she would become a
great actress and go on
to fame and fortune.
A big part in one play
and two drama courses later, she knew the theater
wasn’t for her. She tried audiology but that didn’t work
out either. Finally, Speech Communications with its
debate club, reader’s theater, costuming and scene
construction captured her passion, life long as it turned
out. After graduation, while searching for a job in those
fields, she was offered a position at a private nursery
school as teacher and elementary librarian. Her career
was set for the next thirty years. What did early ed and
library have to do with theater and communications?
Everything as it turned out. A good teacher goes on
stage each and every day to make the world come alive
for the little ones just beginning their journies. The
librarian makes the written word flesh. She married her
college sweetheart, raised three extraordinarily creative
daughters and in retirement, works as a substitute in
special ed for the school district.
Sandi (Mayor) Pachuta (‘95) is a High
School Presenter for Antonelli Institute in Erdenheim, PA.
With her husband, Christopher Pachuta, also ‘95 KU grad,
they have a 6-year-old daughter, Audrey.
Lori Dietrich (‘96) was honored as one of
Central Penn Business Journal’s 2013 Forty Under 40
award recipient for her commitment to business growth,
professional excellence, and community service on October
16th. Dietrich is currently employed as Sales & Marketing
Manger at Worley & Obetz, Inc.
Ken Lager (‘95) is the Lighting and Rigging Specialist at LaFace & McGovern in Bethel Park, PA. He is also the
unofficial photographer for the Fire Department of the City
of Jersey City, NJ.
Alumni Engagement and Birth Announcements
Terri (Tobin) Dorshimer (‘05) married
her highschool
sweetheart, Mike
Dorshimer, on May
30, 2009. Mrs. Forte
did a fabulous job
tailoring her wedding
dress. They are
expecting their first
child in July.
Tommy Walker (‘02) married on May 3, 2014 to his
love of 5 years, actress Julia Dennis.
She’s soon appearing on The Following on FOX. Tommy has been
a working TV/Film/Stage Actor
in NYC since graduating. He has
recently had roles in Unforgettable
on CBS, Person of Interest on CBS,
and Alpha House on Amazon. His
band, Sweet Fix, recently released
its first full length album ‘Golden
Age.’
Kate Diem (‘11). Tyler Eckert, KU
alum, proposed to girlfriend, Kate Diem,
Theatre alum, after the final production
of Lizards... They have two leopard geckos
named Peach and Yomari. Kate and Tyler
also have a small business together, djing
weddings, birthday parties, etc.
Deborah Linnell
(nee Morello):Since graduating from KU in 2001
with degrees in both Theatre and Education, she spent two years living in NYC and
pursuing her acting full time. She was lucky enough to find work in dinner theatre,
local commercials, student films, and improv comedy.
After moving back to NJ in 2004, she became a 7th grade English teacher. In both
districts she worked, Deborah served as musical director, acting coach, and choreographer for the spring musical productions. Working with young people outside
the formal classroom was a true highlight of her work day. Deborah worked on
several shows including Aladdin, Jr., Seussical the Musical, and Guys & Dolls. She
felt very fortunate to be able to combine both her passions for teaching and for the
arts in one awesome job. During her teaching career, Deborah also taught acting
workshops and directed musical productions for some local summer camps, working with children ages 5-13.
Along with her husband, they welcomed twin daughters, Sammie and Claire, in 2011. Deborah then became a
full-time mom. They recently had their 3rd daughter, Anna, in July of 2013. She also takes freelance work as a direct
sales/small business blogger in her spare time (which isn’t easy to find with 3 kids under 3!).
Communication Studies Clubs
Public Relations Club
The KU Public Relations Club has had a busy semester.
Most recently, they were featured on WFMZ and in The
Reading Eagle for their efforts to support and benefit the
Jackie Lithgow Recovery Fund. The club was also invited to
Reese Advertising in Wyomissing, where they toured the
offices and spoke with professionals in the communication
field. You can find the PR Club hosting tables at upcoming
events such as Earth Day, Block Party, and Angel 34!
President: Ellyn Kershner
(ekers266@live.kutztown.edu)
Advisor: Dr. Joseph Harasta
Public Relations Club at their “KU Cares”
fundraiser.
Lambda Pi Eta is the official Communication Studies
honor society of the National Communication Association (NCA). Kutztown University’s Xi Kappa chapter is
one of Lambda Pi Eta’s 400+ active chapters at four-year
colleges and universities worldwide.
In the spring of 2014, Lambda Pi Eta inducted seven
new members and graduated four members.
(above) Lambda Pi Eta members at one of
their Philly Pretzel Sales. (below) Seven new
members were inducted on April 28, and four
members were honored for graduating.
Lambda Pi Eta members have been busy this semester!
They gave COM10 students the opportunity to get help
on their speeches by having four help sessions throughout the semester during both midterms and final exams.
In addition, they have done multiple fundraisers including pretzel and t-shirt sales.
Join Lambda Pi Eta! To become a member, a student
must be a Communication Studies major or minor, an
Electronic Media major, or a Public Relations minor.
The student must also have at least a 3.0 overall GPA,
3.25 in his or her major/minor, and have completed 60
credits overall with 12 credits being in communication.
President: Brooke Hamm
(bhamm871@live.kutztown.edu)
Advisor: Dr. Mary Eicholtz
Communication Studies Clubs
Perforum
This semester has been very busy for Perforum. Here are some of the things
they did:
-General Member Meetings (including costume contests, improv games, slogan
contests, acting and writing exercises) - (Average 15-25 people per meeting)
-Poetry, Prose and Pizza - including readings from books, stand-up comedy,
experimental conversation, song and dance, poetry readings, adapted prose,
etc. (36 people attended) -Cabareyonce - a night of short, 2-person, scenes from
traditional drama, adapted from books and movies, or student written. (About 40
people attended)
-So Long, Farwell Banquet - an end of the year dinner for members in good
standing to reminisce, give silly awards, and send off the seniors!
-Cirque - a twisted drama about the dark side of the Circus. Adam, a young,
hopelessly romantic runaway tries to win the affection of Genevieve, a shy
kind hearted contortionist. Genevieve, however, has fallen under the unwanted
affection of the predatory ringmaster, Angelique.
President: Abby Hoy
(ahoy166@live.kutztown.edu)
Advisor: Dr. Lisa Weckerle
Communication Club
Sunshine Players
The Communication Club has dedicated the
majority of the 2013/2014 year to their Date
Auction event. This event took place on Tuesday,
May 6th in the MacFarland Student Union Building’s
Multipurpose Room. The auction was a charity
event in which participating students provided
canned goods, clothing, books, and other donations
upon entrance. Students who brought donations
received fake monopoly money that enabled them
to “bid” during the auction. Each item donated
determined the amount of “monopoly” money
they were given. Students had the opportunity
to bid for a date during the auction. After the
auction, a pizza party was held. During this time,
students who were matched during the auction
had the opportunity to talk and get to know one
another. The purpose of the event was to increase
communication among student organizations and
more importantly contribute donations to various
charities.
On April 12 & 13, Sunshine Players welcomed
two outside troupes to our campus for “Two Great
Shows, One Awesome Weekend”. On Saturday,
Doug Roysdon from the Mock Turtle Marionette
Theatre from Bethlehem introduced the audience
to the creation of a puppet show in “Time Out
for Puppets”. Then on Sunday, Family Stages from
Ambler joined us. This was a two person group of
Steve Seyfried and Jenn Jaynes (a Kutztown alum
of the musical theater minor) who performed the
story of “Peter Pan”.
President: Kandyce Petersen
(kpete533@live.kutztown.edu)
Advisor: Prof. James McNiff
President: Samantha Brannen
(sbran756@live.kutztown.edu)
Advisor: Prof. Johanna Forte
On May 4 at 11:30am in the Little Theater, Sunshine Players held a brunch and a show. This
performance also featured the Who vs. Whom
Improv Club. This show supported a scholarship
set up at the Civic Theatre of Allentown to help
children who are financially unable to attend summer theater classes.
Happenings within the Department
Communication Club held their first
annual Date Auction on Tuesday,
May 6. Students were asked to donate
canned goods or other items in
exchange for monopoly money upon
entry. This monopoly money was then
used to bid on volunteer “dates.” It
was a very successful evening for all in
attendance.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, Kutztown excepted
volunteers, rather than take the day off, to make it a day of
service. Megan Soucy and seven other girls were put in a group
that would go to The Children’s Home of Reading. The Children’s
Home of Reading is a NGO that helps over 400 youth a year
whose families cannot for various reasons. The area they went to
was the residence halls of boys age 13 to 18 who have psychiatric
and behavioral problems. They house them, provide a separate
schooling for them and daily therapy in order to get each child
out on their own again or back with their families. The group
went into where they lived in dorm room style living and helped
paint an awesome skateboard mural. In the photo of Dr Cripe and
Megan Soucy are standing in front of the mural that they painted.
Communication Studies students Kailee Charles, Meg Soucy,
Christina Wolfe, and Diana Minogue presented a performance
of the novel Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern at the Eastern
Communication Association Convention in Providence,
Rhode Island. This performance was originally presented in
Dr. Weckerle’s Oral Interpretation of Literature class. This
student conference trip was sponsored by the Department of
Communication Studies; Dr. Weckerle served as the advisor for
the conference presentation.
(Picture left) Four groups were chosen
to present their Senior Seminar
Projects at the Senior Extravaganza on
April 28. (From left to right) are Nicole
Cantelmi, Katie Reynolds, Natalie
Yuengel, Nicole Brumbley, Chelsea
Drob, Jenna Shikoff, Jillian Boyer, and
Kevin Pollack. (Picture right) After
the presentations, all other students
in Senior Seminar presented their
projects in the hallway with posters.
Awards & Scholarships
Congratulations to...
Erin Dixon,
Theatre Outstanding
Student Award
Nina Reynolds,
Communication Studies
Outstanding Student Award
based on GPA
Kristie Thudium was selected as the
student speaker for the
afternoon graduation
this year. Kristie is a
psychology major with
minors in Sociology and
Communication Studies.
Kristie completed a lot in
her undergraduate career.
She was a research assistant
for two of her professors. She co-authored two
research journals with Dr. Avidan Milevsky. She
also co-authored a recently published book “The
Transitory Nature of Parent, Sibling and Romantic
Partner Relationships in Emerging Adulthood,” with
Dr. Milevsky, and she has recently begun work on a
second book. Kristie presented research at the 2013
Eastern Psychological Association annual conference,
received a travel grant to present at the 2014 Eastern
Sociological Society annual conference, and will
present at the 2014 Association Psychological
Sciences conference later this month.
In the fall, Kristie will be attending the University of
Pennsylvania for her master’s in Applied Psychology
Human Development. She will be continuing
research projects with her professors at Kutztown
Univeristy and will be joining research labs at Penn.
Megan Soucy,
Communication Studies
Outstanding Student Award
based on Service
Torrie Thompson-Kenley,
the K. Leroy Irvis Scholarship for 2014
of the Pennsylvania Black Conference on
Higher Education
Brooke Hamm,
Communication Studies
Outstanding Student Award
based on Service
Dean’s List & Other Happenings
Comm Students on Campus
Communication Studies majors Sarah Griffiths and Sage Mauser were
both speakers at the opening program for the Veteran’s Center on
campus on April 3. Both of their father’s were in the military. They
each spoke about the sacrifices families make when their loved ones
are overseas in combat.
Fall 2014 Scholarships
E. Annette Mazzaferri Robertson Scholarship- Sarah Hartman
Mazzaferri SPE & THE Scholarship- Diana Minogue
SPE COM Endowed Scholarship- Danielle Strunk
Deanna Lenhart Memorial Scholarship- Derek Miller
Afasen Igyor experiences
Fashion Week first-hand
During the Summer of 2013, Communication Studies major, Afasen
Igyor, assisted Lauren Bochner, who is the sponsorship coordinator at
Seventh House PR. “Fashion week was surprisingly less chaotic than I
had anticipated,” said Afa. Her company produced six presentations,
two runway shows, one dinner, and two after parties.
Together, Afa and Bochner worked with beauty sponsors that would
provide money and a team of makeup artists and stylists to prepare
models for the shows. In return, they would make sure that the sponsor
received credit in the press and also logo placement on invitations and
such. As the assistant sponsorship coordinator, Afa learned how to write
pitch letters, neogtiate deal points, and prepare one pagers and deal
memos. During fashion week, she had to make sure that all points of
these contracts were met.
Afa’s boss gave her the opportunity to handle the sponsorship process
from beginning to end. With very little guidance, she was able to secure
an unconventional sponsorship with SMS Audio for their designer Alon
Livné. They gave $2.5k in exchange for their head phones to be worn by
models during this runway show. On the day of the show, it was Afa’s
responsibility to ensure that all points of the contract were met. This
included getting photos of models and VIPs wearing headphones back
stage. “I was especially proud of the photos I was able to snap a few of
Paris Hilton and the designer wearing the headphones,” said Afa.
Dean’s List Fall 2013
Heather Adams
Brittany Beaudoin
Emma Billig
Jillian Boyer
Laurel Brandt
Nicole Brumbley
Jessica Brygier
Nicole Cantelmi
Alexander Cima
Shannon Daugherty
Cole Davidheiser
Erin Dixon
Laura Douglas
Tristin Dryl
Charles Eskin
Amber Farnum
Luke Ferracone
Sarah Griffiths
Rebecca Henke
Lindsey Hobson
Katherine Hughes
Jenessa Keller
Ellyn Kershner
Evan Krum
David Matejka
Diana Minogue
Janelle Nelson
Stephen Ogden
Anna Parker
Destiny Phillips
Nina Reynolds
Ashton Rosenberger
Daniel Rossino
Samantha Sayles
Amanda Schoell
Abigail Schrecengost
Emily Shuler
Corinne Sick
Mary Smith
Peyton Smith
Megan Soucy
Amanda Spess
David Spurlin
Danielle Strunk
Cara Swetsky
Jodi Wagner
Chelsea Williams
Christina Wolfe
Natalie Yuengel
Communication Studies Interns
Brittany Beaudoin
Student Involvement Center
Jillian Boyer
Tri-coastal Design
Tyler Corr
Valley Preferred Cycling
Christina McGill
The Salvation Army Children’s Services
Amanda Miller
Computer Aid, Inc.
Ashley Miller
Stacy’s Got Greek
Kathryn Poppke
The Edge @ KU
Nina Reynolds
QVC
Katelyn Rodgers
North Penn YMCA
Samantha Sayles
Reese
Brielle Scarano
Wendy Williams Show
Jessica Weiss
Philadelphia Flyers
Christina Wolfe
Intercollegiate Athletics
Pictures (clockwise
starting top left): Katelyn
Rodgers, Jessica Weiss,
Tyler Corr
Interning on the set of The Wendy Williams Show
Brielle Scarano, senior Communication Studies major,
was recently an intern for The Wendy Williams Show.
This show airs nationally, and it is a daytime talk show.
A basic day for Brielle started at 7 am with having audience members fill out release forms. Brielle, along with
the other interns on the set, then made the food plates
for the celebrity green rooms. They greeted the celebrities
and then took them to their green rooms. The interns
got to help the producers pick audience members for the
“Ask Wendy” segment of the show. After the show was
over, the interns got to clean the green rooms and escort
the celebrities out of the building. In the afternoon, they
got to research celebrities that were coming on the show
the following week in order to find interviewing topics.
The interns also searched for celebrity gossip for Wendy’s
“Hot Topics” segment.
The Wendy Williams Show began airing in 2008. For
more information about The Wendy Williams Show, go
to wendyshow.com.
Communication Studies Faculty
Dr. Diana Ebersole
My most recent projects are a chapter on family communication in the second
edition of Dr. Keith Massie’s textbook, a presentation at ECA covering privacy in
families, and a paper under review at the Western Journal of Communication.
The title of the paper is “Parent-adolescent privacy management about health
informatino: Intergenerational motivations and strategies for coping with health
conditions and communicating about health behaviors.” It’s about parent-adolescent privacy management about personal health information within their
families, and with those outside of their families.
Dr. Ronald Grapsy
Dr. Ronald Grapsy was awarded a scholarship to attend the Energypath
2014 conference at Albright College on June 19 and 20. The goal of
Energypath 2014 is to increase the knowledge of and passion for sustainable
energy in the leaders of today and tomorrow. The Sustainable Energy Fund
sponsored his scholarship.
Dr. Grapsy had an article written in the Keystone about his band, Tapioca
Monkey, that performed in the McFarland Student Union Building earlier
this year. The article was written by Communication
Studies student, Alyssa Cuccurullo.
Dr. Andrea Mitnick
I have applied for and received two such Fulbright grants in my lifetime, one for Moscow in 2007 and one for Budapest,
Hungary for the spring semester 2014. This means that I have been able to teach at a university here in Budapest, receiving
a small stipend for my living expenses, and I also have been taken along with the other 8 grantees here this semester to
many different places within Hungary. I have given several talks at, for example, The University of West Hungary, and the
University in the city of Pecs, Hungary.
Here in Budapest, I am at the college for Communication, Art and Business which initially intrigued me because I believe
that is a terrific combination. In order to be a successful businessperson or artist, marketer or public relations specialist,
you have to understand and practice effective and strategic communication. That is the kind of thing I am teaching here. I
have two classes, each with about 35 students. We meet only once a week for 80 minutes and the semester is only 12 weeks
long .. not nearly enough time to do everything I am able to do at home.
I have enjoyed myself here very much, and one of the best things that has happened
to me is a greater appreciation for my American students at Kutztown - they work
harder, they come to class a little more regularly than the students here, and of
course the semester is longer. On the other hand I love having students from every
part of the globe: Nigeria, Romania, |Hungary, Montenegro, France, Italy, Spain,
and many other countries are represented here.
At the college there is a booming program of marketing, tourism and PR and it
was another reason why I was attracted to the school. I am very grateful for the
support of my family, my department and my chair Claire van ens, and of course,
the Fulbright Commission.
This picture is of the Hungarian parliament building, the second largest in the world. it is a fantastic building especially at
night when the whole thing is lit up dramatically.
The core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program provides approximately 800 teaching and/or research grants to U.S. faculty and
experienced professionals in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. Grants are available in over 125 countries
worldwide. This prestigious program was started by Senator Fulbright shortly after World War II when he wanted to
enhance intercultural exchanges between countries after the war’s devastation.
Theatre Faculty & Staff
Mary Ann Swords-Greene
, graduated from West Virginia
University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design. While she was there,
she had the opportunity to work on many touring shows that came through
Morgantown. Sometimes she would be on the wardrobe crew and sometimes just
the load-in and load-out crew. The Theatre Department would produce 2 main
stage shows a semester and support the music department’s opera scenes.
She had a wonderful Costume Shop Manager who became her mentor. Before
graduating, she honored her by asking her to help build a period Victorian Dress
meant for a museum display. By the way, the dress was plaid!
After graduating, she spent a few years working all over. She spent a summer on the Outer Banks at The Lost Colony as
wardrobe. Spent a short time on tour with Nebraska Theatre Caravan as the assistant wardrobe and props person. And,
she had the opportunity to work as a stitcher for the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York and their production of
MacBeth starring Angela Basset and Alec Baldwin.
A few years after graduating, she went back to school to earn her Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design from the
University of Connecticut. At UConn, she was lucky enough to find another wonderful mentor in the Costume Shop
Manager there. While there, she had the opportunity to work for Connecticut Opera as a Costume Design Assistant
and, eventually, was asked to design costumes for their children’s touring show, Three Little Pigs.
Upon graduating from UConn, she moved to New Jersey. She continued to do a few designs at area schools and theatres
while she worked at Norcostco as their Costume Rental Manager. About two years later, she moved to Pennsylvania and
started working for Desales University. She was, primarily, their Costume Shop Manager but, also, had the opportunity
to design costumes for the Desales University Dance Ensemble. After about five years, she left and started doing more
freelance costume design work for area theatres, including Circle of Stones, Media Theatre, Montgomery Theatre, and
Marywood University.
She started working as the Costume Shop Manager here at Kutztown University in October 2010. At that time, the shop
was in the basement of Schaeffer. About a year and a half later, it was moved to its current location in the basement
of Old Main. The first show she designed for the Communication Studies and Theater Department was Fuddy Meers
in February 2011. When she is not working in the costume shop or designing costumes for the department here at
Kutztown, she continues to design for Marywood University and Montgomery Theatre; as well as, making custom
costumes and clothing for her clients in the Steampunk, Cosplay, and historical recreation groups.
Robert Lewis Smith, Associate Professor of Theatre, joined the KU faculty in 1997 and has been teaching
courses in Theatre History, Theatrical Design, Theatrical Production, and Introduction to
Theatre since then. He earned an MFA in Design for the Stage from the Tisch School of
the Arts at New York University, and completed doctoral course work at the University of
Missouri—Columbia. He has been an All Category member of the United Scenic Artists
since the early 1970s and has designed nearly 200 productions for Professional and
Academic Theatres, including A Contemporary Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, and
Syracuse Repertory Theatre. At KU he designed Scenery and/or Lights for 32 department
productions, including Hay Fever, R.U.R., The Lucky Stiff, Mood Over Buffalo, and
Rhinoceros.
Robert posed with his wife,
Barbara, at the reception after
“Lizards...”
Professor Smith served as an Associate Editor of Scenic Design for TD&T (Theatre
Design & Technology) for the last 14 years, where he had several articles published. He coauthored the chapter on Oliver Smith in Late Great: American Designers 1960-2010. Books
include Directory of Graduate Training Programs in Theatre Design and Technology and Theatre: Its Nature, Its Variety, Its
Development, an Introduction to Theatre text, to be published August, 2014.
Theatre Faculty & Staff
Johanna Forte
student. Heidi Huber, she and
I was asked to write a little
I made her blue silk wedding
something about my career.
gown in the shop. Emma Finn,
Since the last newsletter
who nursed a basket of bunnies
contained a piece about my
when their mom was run over by
professional career, I decided
a lawn mower. Tim Shumacher
to focus on my career as the
and Lanatia Nalley, who both
Costume Designer for the
live in NYC and are working
Thearte Department. When
in costuming. Nick McCarthy,
I made the decision to accept
you will always be my Prince!
the position as Director of the
Cary Majweicz who wanted to
Honors Program four years ago, Johanna Forte, center, with some of her previous students be a dresser and ended up being
at the Lizards... reception.
my daughter and I counted the
one of the best stitchers ever!
number of shows that I designed
Beka Schaeffer, so glad she and
and built. We came up with 71. No wonder I’m tired!!
Tom Birch are getting married!! Syreeta Hill, currently
When I think back I can’t help but recall the wonderful
working as a nurse. Karina Johnson, our little mother
support staff that the Theatre department had employed
in more ways than one. Emily Bahlinger, she’s getting
to help on all those productions. These young men and
married soon and yes, I am hemming her dress. Daphne
women were the reason I worked academic theatre. The
Becker (now Wolfe) another wedding gown altered in
reason I kept designing and building. Jessica (sorry I can’t
the shop. Terri Tobin, whose sweet smile warmed all
remember your last name) was the first shop assistant.
our hearts. Michelle Lynette Bush who for five seasons
Kristine Keifer (now Petre) was a library Science major
worked as an assistant costume designer for Dancing
who volunteered to work on Sunshine Players and stayed.
With the Stars. And last, but not least, Megan Hoffman
Mischa Colburn (now Nixon) was a CD major who
(now McGinty) who three years after she graduated
became a theatre minor. Carl Marchese, not sure if he
was hired as the costumer and my right hand. She was
was on the payroll, but he should have been! Adrianne
my rock. (I know I have forgotten someone. Please
Hauf and Tina Ferrara, roommates and best friends, they
accept my apologies). I couldn’t have done anything
were so much fun. Phil Horrocks, the shop was never
without you folks. Your laughter, your passion for work,
the same when he left. Kazuko Inoue, my first foreign
your dedication all made the long hours bearable and
exchange student who later went to graduate school and
enjoyable. I will never forget any of you and the joy
earned an MFA in Costume Design. Erin McCole (now
you have given me these many years. Thanks for all the
Cupp) who has three girls of her own and yes, she sews
wonderful memories!
for them. Aya Kashara, my second foreign exchange
Congrats to Communication Studies &
Theatre student worker, Jillian Boyer,
for graduating in May. Good luck at
your job in New York, Jill!
Newsletter designed by Brooke Hamm (‘14)
Theatre Faculty & Staff
Roxane Rix
, Associate Professor of Theatre, joined the Kutztown faculty in
2001to teach acting and directing. Beginning with The Seagull, Prof. Rix has directed 14
KU Theatre productions in nearly every style and genre, many of which were recognized
by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for directing and/or acting
ensemble; her 2006 musical Lucky Stiff was selected for performance at the Region II
KCACTF Festival. Prof. Rix also introduced Alba Emoting (recently renamed Alba
Method) to the KU community, a technique to help actors gain emotional freedom which
she brought to the US from Chile in the early 1990s. Prof. Rix holds an MFA in Directing
from the University of Minnesota and Certificate in Acting and Directing from Sonia
Moore’s American Stanislavski Theatre.
Adam Kissinger, is the
Governors School for the Arts, Zoellner
Arts Center, Allentown Symphony Hall,
Mount Gretna Summer Theatre, as well as
casual over-hire work with IATSE unions in
Allentown and Reading. He is a non-union
film actor represented by Plaza 7 in King of
Prussia. Recently, he has been working as a
translator with the production company that
creates Amish Mafia for a television show
that will air this summer on Discovery.
technical director of Rickenbach
Theatre. He graduated from the KU
Theatre Department in ’07. While
in his undergrad, Adam worked in
the scene shop. After he graduated
he was hired as an independent
contractor as the Assistant Tech
director and scene shop manager.
When the previous Tech director
(above) Adam Kissinger, center, posed
left in 2008 he was hired to fill his
with alum Elizabeth Yoder and depart- In the future, Adam intends to continue
position. As the technical director, ment office manager, Stacey Gambler at writing and performing. He is compiling a
Adam oversees students in the
the “Lizards...” reception.
book of his poetry for publication, and he
construction and installation of
is also in the process of sending his plays to
scenic, lighting, and audio elements,
festivals and professional theatres with the
as well as maintenance and organization of the
intention of having his work produced.
theatre.
“I entered a small theatre department as a student in 2002
Adam has been a freelance theatre professional
and saw the fire in the few already, there, I watched it grow
since the age of 12, working mostly in local theatres
to a brilliant roar, though it was fueled with only kindling
including Blatts Dinner Theatre, Yocum Institute
and lack of care, I saw the date pushed back for the ‘new
for Arts Education, Touchstone Theatre, Artists in
theatre’ to bring in fountains, parking lots, and an ugly
Unity, Metamorphosis Performing Company, and he
bear, and when the fully functional department was denied
is a founding member of Utsa Butze, the Elementary
accreditation because of our space, I saw every face drop
Theatre Project, and the current incarnation of
with despair. This burnt out pile was once home to many, but
the Reading Theatre Project. He is also a freelance
while only few still pass the final, cooling ash, the hardened
theatre artist and has been employed by the PA
charcoal is still worth every difficult year,” said Adam.
Comments from Alumni:
Eileen Miller, (‘81) “I am saddened that
the theatre program is no more, as I have
been in New York working professionally
for over 30 years, and I believe someo f
my skills and expertise were acquired at
Kutztown.”
Lauren Krause, (‘12) “I am very thankful for the
training in theatre and dance that I received from
Kutztown and miss everyone dearly. I am also glad to
see that the Deane Lenhart Scholarship is continuing
to be awarded despite the removal of the Lenhart
Dance Company. The former dance company gave
me the tools to know how to work professionally and
to create movement passionately! I hope the program
will continue to grow and support the arts.”
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES SURVEY
1. Name: (last)____________________________________ (first)_____________________________
Maiden:______________________________ Spouse’s Name :_____________________________
2. Home Address: (street)____________________________________________________________
City:____________________________________State:_____________Zip:___________________
Home Phone: (area code)_________ Phone:___________________________________________
3. Employer:___________________________________________________ since:______________
Title:________________________________________________________ since:______________
Company Addresss: (street)________________________________________________________
City:___________________________________State:______________Zip:__________________
E-Mail:____________________________________________
4. Year of Graduation:_________________________________
5. What was your major at Kutztown? SPEECH/COMMUNICATION__________ THEATRE__________ OTHER ________
6. Are you currently employed? (If no, go to 10) YES__________ NO__________
7. Are you employed: FULL TIME_____________ PART TIME_____________
8. Are you working in a degree related field? YES___________ NO___________
9. Did you do an internship while at Kutztown University? YES____________ NO____________
If you did are you currently employed or have you ever been employed by that internship? YES_________ NO__________
10. If your job is non-degree related, what is the primary reason that you are not working in the field?
_____ (1) FEW OR NO JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FIELD
_____ (2) INABILITY OR LACK OF DESIRE TO CHANGE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS
_____ (3) AVAILABILITY OF HIGHER PAYING POSITIONS IN NON-RELATED FIELDS
_____ (4) OPTED FOR GRADUATE STUDY
_____ (5) OTHER (please specify)___________________________________________________
11. Have you enrolled in any programs for graduate study? YES________ NO________
SCHOOL:_______________________________________________________________________
DEGREE PROGRAM:______________________________DEGREE AWARED:__________________
YEAR:_________________
12. Were you employed in the field at graduation? YES________ NO________
. Please bring us up to date about yourself. Include information that you would allow us to publish in our newsletter.
(ex: promotions, job changes, moves, awards, marriage, births, etc.)
Our goal is to have this newsletter become 100% electronic, so please send us your email address. Feel free to update us by filling out
the above survey and send to Stacey Gambler at gambler@kutztown.edu.