{"id":9387,"date":"2011-09-08T11:19:44","date_gmt":"2011-09-08T11:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.umw.edu\/cas\/theatre\/about\/faculty.php"},"modified":"2026-01-06T11:57:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T16:57:11","slug":"who-we-are","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cas.umw.edu\/theatre\/department-of-theatre-and-dance\/who-we-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Who We Are"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Theatre & Dance<\/div>

Who We Are<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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Michael Benson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Associate Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Michael Benson <\/strong>received degrees in music and theatre from Baldwin-Wallace College and received his MFA in scene design from Pennsylvania State University. He has worked across the nation as a scenic designer, technical director, scenic artist, and sound designer for over twenty years for such theatres as Northern Stage Company, Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Ohio Light Opera, Cleveland Playhouse and the American Heartland Theatre. Scenic designs of note include L’incoronazione di Poppea<\/i>, Les Miserables, Beehive: The 60\u2019s Musical, <\/i>and Ruddigore<\/i>. Specialties include period research, 3D computer modeling, and digital media for the theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office: duPont 320
Phone: 540.654.1981
Email: mbenson4@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bridgette Dennett<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bridgette Dennett<\/strong> received her BA in scenic and costume design from The University of South Florida and a MFA in scenic design from Indiana University. She is a scenic designer and charge artist with a background in the fine arts. Her credits include design and artist credits at venues such as The Rose Theatre of Omaha, Tampa Repertory Theatre, Jobsite Theatre, Stageworks, and a position on the 2015 team for the United States exhibit at the Prague Quadrennial. Favorite recent designs include Macbeth<\/em>, The Glass Menagerie<\/em>, Woyzeck<\/em>, and The Pitmen Painters<\/em>. She specializes in painting and sculpture, casting and mold-making, ceramics, and both period and contemporary architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office: duPont 327
Phone: 540.654.1984
Email: bdennett@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Max Doolittle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjunct Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Max Doolittle<\/strong> received his BFA in theatre from Ithaca College and his MFA in lighting design from the University of Maryland. He is a member of USA-829 and has designed for Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Mosaic Theatre Company, Theatre Alliance, Imagination Stage, Forum Theatre, Spooky Action Theatre, Adventure Theatre, The Kennedy Center\/Second City, Constellation Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre Academy for Classical Acting, Pointless Theatre Co, NextStop Theatre. His NYC credits include <\/strong>Ars Nova, Juilliard School, New Ohio Theatre, and New World Stages. Regional credits include Kitchen Theatre Company, Fulton Theatre, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Geffen Playhouse, Mississippi Opera Studio, and Minnesota Opera. Lighting direction for television includes Anderson Cooper 360, Piers Morgan Live, <\/em>and a number of TED Talks. <\/em>He teaches Lighting Design<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: mdoolit2@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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George Fulda<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjunct Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

George Fulda<\/strong> studied music at West Virginia University and Fairmont State Universities and theatre at the historic Moscow Arts Theatre School, founded by Stanislavski. He received his Ed.D. in Higher Educational Leadership in 2008 from WVU. He has taught music privately for 30 year, and Music\/Rhythmic Expression for Ballroom Dancing at FSU. He has been musical director, orchestrator and pianist for dozens of professionsal, collegiate and community productions in West Virginia, DC, and Virginia including performances at the Kennedy Center and the Hylton Center for the Performing Arts.   He currently serves on the executive board of Prince William Little Theatre<\/em> in Manassas music directing recent productions of 110 in the Shade <\/em>and The Secret Garden.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: gfulda@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Allison Hedges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjunct Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Allison Hedges<\/strong> completed her PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a specialization in theatre history. Her dissertation, entitled \u201cSpoken Words, Embodied Words: A New Approach to Ancient Egyptian Theatre,\u201d proposes collaboration between theatre practitioners, theatre historians, and Egyptologists for a more holistic understanding of the ancient Egyptian theatrical tradition. Dr. Hedges received her BA in Drama from New York University\u2019s Gallatin School. She earned her MLA in Ancient Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused on Egyptology. While at the University of Maryland, Dr. Hedges adapted and directed two ancient Egyptian dramas for the stage: The Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys<\/em> and The Triumph of Horus<\/em>. Her research has been published in Performance, Religion, and Spirituality and the French review \u00c9gypte, Afrique & Orient. As a professional actor, theatre director, and arts educator, Dr. Hedges has worked with Delaware Theatre Company, Kalliope Stage, OperaDelaware, Philadelphia Area Repertory Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, and Women\u2019s Ensemble Theatre Company as well as schools and arts programs throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Her film and television credits include Dead Poets Society<\/em>, Stealing Home<\/em>, Unsolved Mysteries<\/em>, and George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: ahedges@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Casey Kaleba<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjunct Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Casey Kaleba<\/strong> is a<\/span> Certified Teacher and Fight Director with the Society of American Fight Directors. Casey has staged movement and fights for more than five hundred productions for opera and theatre including the Folger Theatre, Round House Theatre, Washington National Opera, Ford\u2019s Theatre, Signature Theatre, Wolf Trap Opera, Spoleto Festival, Rorschach Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center. He has served as a guest artist in Sweden and Canada, worked as an audition choreographer for Marvel Universe Live, and spent several years smashing things on the YouTube show Men At Arms: Reforged.  He is a proud member of SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. He has worked on department productions including Macbeth, Spring Awakening, Romeo & Juliet, Noises Off, <\/i>and Les Liaisons Dangereuses<\/i>. <\/span>He teaches Stage Combat<\/em>, Rapier and Dagger<\/em>, and Swashbuckling<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: ckaleba@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jennifer Kubilus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjunct Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Ruhl Kubilus<\/strong> received her BFA in Dance and a Minor in Arts Administration from George Mason University. In the past she was an Adjunct Instructor for Modern at GMU and an Assistant\/Substitute Instructor for NVCC. She has choreographed and performed with multiple professional dance companies in DC, NoVA, and NYC.  She continues to train pre-professional dancers as a faculty member and guest artists at numerous studios. She also teaches as certified Group Fitness Instructor and a 200hr-RYT Yoga Teacher. Jenn has assisted or produced over 50 dance concerts and musical theater productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: jkubilus@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Irene Kuykendall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjunct Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Irene Kuykendall<\/strong> is an educator, actor, and director with a Master’s in Text & Performance from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and conservatory training from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. Education experience includes serving the Greater Richmond Region for over six years as the Education Manager at Virginia Repertory Theatre, and as a trained Wolf Trap Teaching Artist, a Disney Musicals in Schools Teaching Artist, and a Richmond Performing Arts Alliance Teaching Artist. In addition to after-school programming, full-time public school support includes teaching Theatre Performance and Theatre Production at Midlothian High School, as well as teaching Drama at Elizabeth Davis Middle School. Collegiate instruction consists of adjunct assignments through Virginia Commonwealth University, Brightpoint Community College, and the University of Mary Washington. Favorite acting credits include Maria in The Sound of Music<\/em> (JFT);  The Woman in The 39 Steps,<\/em> and Actress 1 in Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery <\/em>(Virginia Rep, Winner of the Best Supporting Actress RTCC Award). Favorite directing credits include GASLIGHT<\/em> (Swift Creek Mill), MORIARTY: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery <\/em>(Virginia Rep), The Good Fight<\/em> (ARGS), CLUE, <\/em>and MEAN GIRLS<\/em> (Midlothian HS). You can find out more about her work at www.irenejkuykendall.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: ikuykend@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kevin McCluskey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Associate Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Kevin McCluskey<\/strong> received his MFA in theatre design from Indiana University. Kevin\u2019s career has taken him to professional theatres and universities around the country where he has designed costumes and makeup for over 100 productions. At the University of Mary Washington, his credits include costume design for Les Liaisons Dangereuses<\/em>, The Tempest, Spring Awakening, Always…Patsy<\/em> Cline<\/em>, and Fun Home<\/em>. Kevin also designed the puppets and puppet props for the 2015 production of Avenue Q<\/em>. His specialties include costume history, period style and puppetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office: duPont 326
Phone: 540.654.1979
Email: kmcclusk@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Brandon Prendergast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Production Supervisor & Data Administrator, Adjunct Professor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brandon Prendergast is an AEA stage manager and a 1995 graduate of Mary Washington who works regularly at the major DC theatres including Ford\u2019s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Signature Theatre. Brandon has stage managed nearly 100 professional productions in his career including collaborations with Bernadette Peters, Julie Taymor, Twyla Tharp, Terrence McNally, Gillian Lynn, Jason Robert Brown, and others. He has worked on several world premieres and pre-Broadway runs including Ragtime,<\/em> Follies, Sideshow, and Come From Away. <\/em>He also oversees the stage management program and teaches Stage Management<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office: duPont 322
Phone: 540.654.1982
Email: bprender@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jon K. Reynolds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Managing Director, Adjunct Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jon Reynolds<\/strong> received his MA in arts administration from the University of Kentucky and BA in theatre from the University of Mary Washington. He served as the Director of Marketing and Audience Services for the department from the fall of 2013 to fall of 2025 providing marketing and artwork for over 35 productions, and assumed the role of Managing Director of UMW Theatre in 2025. Jon also serves as the Brand Manager for the University School of the Arts and teaches Principles of Arts Administration<\/em>, Resource Strategies in Arts Administration <\/em>as part of the requirements for the minor in arts administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office: duPont 329
Phone: 540.654.2233
Email: jreynol2@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sim Rivers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjunct Professor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sim Nakamura Rivers<\/strong> is a theatre artist based in the DMV region. A graduate of the MFA program in Performance & Pedagogy at VCU, he has worked extensively as a director, educator, and performer with a special emphasis on original works and devised ensemble creation. His research concerns individualized and self-reflexive approaches to pedagogy at the collegiate level to support students of all backgrounds and abilities in achieving artistic success in the studio setting. Recent projects include I Know These Roads <\/em>(IMmortal Festival, Truepenny Projects) She Kills Monsters, The Poet and the Rent <\/em>(TAG Repertory), Which Way to the Stage? <\/em>(Assistant Director, RTP), Lord of the Flies <\/em>(Assistant Director, Richmond Shakes), All She Must Possess, <\/em>and Dorian\u2019s Closet <\/em>(Assistant Director, REP Stage). 

Email: srivers@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Taryn Snyder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Assistant to the Director of the School of the Arts and Office Manager for Theatre and Dance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Taryn Snyder<\/strong> graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a BA in theatre in 2015 and began working for the department that following fall as the Assistant to the Chair and Director of Group Sales. In 2025, Taryn assumed the role of Assistant to the Director of the School of the Arts and Office Manager for Theatre and Dance. She hosts the UMW Theatre Road Trip series and assists in the fulfillment of the social media, communications, and advancement initiatives for the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office: duPont 315
Phone: 540.654.1243
Email: tsnyder3@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gregg Stull<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Professor and Director of the School of the Arts<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Gregg Stull<\/strong> is a director and arts manager who has worked extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Gregg has received the Grellett C. Simpson Award, UMW\u2019s most prestigious award for excellence in undergraduate teaching, as well as the Mortar Board Outstanding Faculty Award, the Outstanding Young Faculty Award and twice, the Academic Affairs Council Award for Teaching Excellence. The graduating class of 2003 honored him with the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award as the \u201cfaculty member who had the greatest impact on their lives.\u201d Gregg directed the national tour of Crimes Against Nature<\/em>, featuring Chris Kilmartin as well as the UMW productions of The Laramie Project<\/em>, RENT, Spring Awakening, Little Shop of Horrors, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, God of Carnage<\/em>, Fun Home, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time<\/em>, and The Rocky Horror Show<\/em>, among many others. He is the Chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance and was named the William V. Anderson Distinguished Professor of Theatre in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office: duPont 210
Phone: 540.654.1980
Email: gstull@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marc Williams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Professor and Chair<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Marc Williams<\/strong> received an MFA in directing from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and an Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. Marc\u2019s professional work includes extensive credits as a director and voice\/accent coach.<\/em> He spent two years as the Director of New Works at Burning Coal Theatre Company in Raleigh, NC, and two years as the Casting Director for Fredericksburg Theatre Company. He was the 2018 recipient of the Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching at Arkansas State University, where he also directed productions that include In the Next Room (or the vibrator play),<\/em> Into the Woods<\/em>, and As You Like It<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office: duPont 328
Phone: 540.654.1983
Email: marc.williams@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FACULTY EMERITI<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Julie Liepelt, associate professor emeritus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Julie Liepelt<\/strong>, a scenic and lighting designer at UMW, trained at Indiana University and has worked at numerous theatres and academic institutions. Julie\u2019s design favorites include Sunday in the Park with George<\/em>, The Secret Garden<\/em> and Love of the Nightingale<\/em>. Julie is an expert at fabric modification, having studied specific techniques with eminent artists throughout the country. She has branched out into television set design, culminating in a regional Emmy nomination for her work with Megahertz<\/em>, a live music and video format production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: jhodge@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Helen Housley, professor emeritus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Helen Housley<\/strong> received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland where she researched the role of the female director in the American Theatre. In addition to being an accomplished director (whose recent work at UMW includes Medea, The Country Wife,<\/em> The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] <\/em>and our first-ever virtual production, Much Ado About Nothing)<\/em>, she is a specialist in the Lessac technique and served the department as its primary vocal instructor and coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: hhousley@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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David E. Hunt, Jr., professor emeritus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

David E. Hunt, Jr.<\/strong> earned an MFA in Scene Design from UCLA. He has designed scenery and\/or lighting for over 150 theatre and dance productions. Among his favorite designs are Quilters<\/em>, Into the Woods<\/em>, The Taming of the Shrew<\/em> and The Trojan Women<\/em>. David received an AMOCO Excellence in Scene Design Award for his production of Much Ado About Nothing<\/em>. He is an accomplished artist whose work hangs in local galleries and is widely commissioned by private collectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email: dhunt@umw.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michael Benson Associate Professor Michael Benson received degrees in music and theatre from Baldwin-Wallace College and received his MFA in scene design from Pennsylvania State University. He has worked across the nation as a scenic designer, technical director, scenic artist, and sound designer for over twenty years for such theatres as Northern Stage Company, Pittsburgh […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5781,"featured_media":67889,"parent":9377,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-9387","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nWho We Are - Theatre and Dance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cas.umw.edu\/theatre\/department-of-theatre-and-dance\/who-we-are\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who We Are\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michael Benson Associate Professor Michael Benson received degrees in music and theatre from Baldwin-Wallace College and received his MFA in scene design from Pennsylvania State University. 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