People

The Department of Theatre is a diverse community of creative faculty, students, and alumni. Get to know us!
 

Our accomplished FACULTY include

Carlos AlexisCruz giving a note to students in Storrs Salon

  • An award-winning professional director whose recent work has been staged at some the nation’s top theatre companies
  • An internationally regarded Shakespeare scholar and author of forthcoming Arden Shakespeare edition of Julius Caesar
  • Specialists in circus arts, aerial silks, Black acting techniques, devised theatre, activist theatre, and playwriting
  • Author of a new, cutting-edge theatre history textbook published by Palgrave Macmillan
  • Scenic, costume, and lighting designers working in professional theatres in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Austin, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Charlotte
  • A scholar-artist and journal editor leading the rising field of Theatre for Young Audiences

Among our ALUMNI are

Read personal success stories from our alumni →Theatre alum standing in front of Robinson Hall

  • Obie-Award winning playwright Caridad Svich—winner of the 2018 Ellen Steward Award for Career Achievement in Professional Theatre by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.
  • Emmy-award winning costume designer and Hollywood costume supervisor Amy Andrews Harrell
  • Emmy-award winning casting professional Craig Fincannon—founder of Fincannon & Associates, Inc.
  • Playwright Stacey Rose, who has won multiple prestigious fellowships, worked with Spike Lee, and has recently founded the Queen City New Play Initiative
  • Television, film, and stage actor Don Castro, whose international career includes extensive experience in industrials, commercials, voice-overs, and commercial print.
  • Many accomplished theatre educators, including Shellie Kingaby-Hyser, Cabarrus County Public Schools, a certified Diamond Coach with the National Speech and Debate Association.

Recently, our STUDENTS have

Group of students performing at the Renaissance Festival

  • Made it to the Finals in the Kennedy Center American Theatre College Festival Region IV Irene Ryan acting competition
  • Performed lead roles for Charlotte professional theatre companies
  • Attended summer programs at Lincoln Center and the Barrows Group in New York City
  • Received graduate scholarships for study in Ph.D., MFA, and MA theatre programs
  • Worked as performers in commercials, industrials, and workplace training videos
  • Stage managed, teched, and designed costumes for Charlotte theatre companies
  • Assistant directed productions at several professional theatre companies in Chicago
  • Presented papers and posters on theatre topics as UNC Charlotte Research Scholars 
  • Performed annually at the Carolina Renaissance Festival