Allegheny College - Communication Arts and Theatre Department

Video Production


		Michael Keeley	Office Hours
		Arter 114A	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-2305
		Box #: 77
		mkeeley@allegheny.edu


	Michael Keeley, Chair, Professor of Communication Arts joined the Allegheny faculty in the Fall of 1987. Keeley has a B.A. in Speech Communication from the Pennsylvania State University, an M.A. in Broadcast Communication from Marquette University, and an M.F.A. in Television Production from Brooklyn College. Keeley’s primary areas of interest are documentary production, video studies, and broadcast and film history. His most recent media projects include, “Neighbor Kids Academy”, a short documentary on a program that introduces low income and at-risk children to the arts, “The Summer Music Festival at Allegheny College”, a short documentary that highlights the festival and emphasizes the importance of music in education and society, and “The Quiet Northwest”, a short promotional documentary that promotes tourism in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Keeley’s past and present courses include Visual Production I: Television Production, Visual Production II: Electronic Field Production, Visual Production III: Advanced Production, Documentary Tradition, Media and Society, and Neuroscience and the Visual Arts.


		River Branch	Office Hours
		Arter 108	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-3203
		Box #: 45
		river.branch@allegheny.edu


	River Branch, Assistant Professor in Communication Arts, has a B.A. in Psychology from Kenyon College, an M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa and an M.F.A. in Film and Video Production from the University of Iowa. Branch’s creative work incorporates elements of fictional, non-fiction and experimental practices. Her most recent work, a multimedia installation, utilized performance, still photography and interactive technologies while her thesis, a feature-length experimental documentary moved seamlessly from the poetic and experimental to the traditional forms of nonfiction media production. She is currently working on a documentary regarding the role of community-based media practices within the on-going political and social unrest in Oaxaca, Mexico. The notion of a critical dialogue among the arts, academy and community permeates her creative work as well as that of her teaching. Recent courses designed by Professor Branch include Video Activism: History, Theory, Politics and Practice, Public Art: Politics, Persuasion, Production and Play and Community-Based Media Practices.

Media and Rhetoric


		Ishita Sinha Roy	Office Hours
		Arter 103	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-4384
		Box #: 45
		iroy@allegheny.edu


	Ishita Sinha Roy is Assistant Professor in Media Studies. She has a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from Bombay University (India), and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Dr. Sinha Roy’s research focus is on how various media shape the cultural imaginary, particularly with regard to issues of nationalism and globalization. Her dissertation is an exploration and analysis of the ‘manufacturing’ of Indian-ness through media and popular culture: first by British colonizers, then by the postcolonial Indian nationals, and more recently by transnational global media and marketing forces. Dr. Sinha Roy regularly presents her academic work at the conferences hosted by the National Communication Association and the International Communication Association, and is currently in the process of publishing articles based on her dissertation. Her work draws mainly from scholarship in postcolonialism, nationalism and globalization, critical and cultural studies, gender theory, and media studies. The courses she teaches include media and cultural theory, media criticism, topic courses on gender and sexuality in the media, advertising & marketing, nationalism and globalization, children and popular culture, and leadership & persuasion. She has designed, and teaches the Sophomore Seminar that prepares all Communication Arts majors for the Senior Thesis Project. In Fall 2004, she will be co-teaching a course in television studies with Allegheny alum and Hollywood producer Lloyd Segan.


		Mark LaPointe	Office Hours
		Arter 114B	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-2903
		Box #: 45
		mark.lapointe@allegheny.edu


	Mark LaPointe, Assistant Professor in Media Studies, joined the Allegheny faculty in the Fall of 2003. LaPointe has a B.A. in English from Colby College and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Nevada. He is currently a candidate for the Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Washington where his dissertation, Use of Mass Media in the Articulation of Queered Identity, Community and Performance is entering its final stages. LaPointe's areas of expertise and interest are varied, but primarily focus on media and cultural studies, popular culture, media history and issues of gender, race, ethnicity and sexuality in media. His most recent publications include, "The Press and the African-American Community: The Role of the Northwest Enterprise in the 1930s," published in the Pacific Northwest Quarterly and "Gender Transgression and Villainy in Animated Film" published in the journal, Popular Communication. LaPointe's past and present courses include Media & Cultural Theory, Media & Society, Media Criticism Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Children & Television.


		Courtney Bailey	Office Hours
		Arter 101A	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-2301
		Box #: 45
		cbailey@allegheny.edu


	Courtney Bailey, Assistant Professor in Public Communication, has a Ph.D. in Communication & Culture from Indiana University, and a BSC in Communication Studies from Ohio University. Her primary areas of interest include rhetoric, media and cultural studies, feminism, and visual culture, especially in regards to popular representations of gender, race, and sexuality. Her dissertation focuses on how TIME magazine has represented women on their covers over the past 30 years. She has published an essay on the art work of Judy Chicago in the journal Genders and an essay on the feminist alternative magazine "Bitch" in the journal Women & Language. She has taught a range of courses, including Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Introduction to Media, Argumentation & Advocacy, Persuasion, and Topics in Performance & Culture. Her current courses include Rhetorical Criticism, Rhetoric & Community, and Topics in Rhetoric: Visualizing the Body.


		Vesta Silva	Office Hours
		Arter 104B	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-4385
		Box #: 45
		vsilva@allegheny.edu


	Vesta Silva has joined the Allegheny faculty in the fall of 2004 as an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and the Director of the Speech Center in the new Learning Commons. Vesta has her M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa. Dr. Silva’s dissertation focused on popular representations of genetics and reproduction, and she continues to explore the relationships between rhetoric, technology, health, and the body in public discourse. Vesta is also an officer of the Student Section of the National Communication Association, and has presented her work at numerous national and local conferences.


		Jon Wiebel	Office Hours
		Arter 108	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-2308
		Box #: 45
		jwiebel@allegheny.edu


	Jon Wiebel, Instructor in Communication Arts, has joined the Allegheny faculty in the fall of 2004. Jon has a B.A. in Political Science from Baylor University and a M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jon is currently a Ph. D. candidate in Communication Studies at the University of Iowa. His dissertation focuses on the rhetorical deployment of “foreignness” in anti-immigration policies concerning the U.S.-Mexico border. Jon’s areas of expertise and interest primarily focus on issues of race, national identity, political communication, and post-structural theory –in particular its intersection with rhetorical ideas of contingency. Jon’s present courses include Rhetoric as a Liberal Art and Public Address.


		James Strickler	Office Hours
		Arter 1	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-2307
		Box #: 45
		james.strickler@allegheny.edu


	James Strickler, Lecturer of Communication Arts joined the Allegheny faculty in January 1989. Strickler has a B.A. in English Literature/Speech Communication from Grove City College, PA. Strickler has more than fifty years of distinguished experience in the media industry. Radio broadcasting, Public Relations, and Television Production, were his areas of lifetime vocation. The focus of his work centered in the field of local program origination for cable television. He is a pioneer in this field, having developed techniques in programming that have become standards within the industry. In August 2002, Strickler was awarded the PRIDE award by the Pennsylvania Cable and Telecommunications Association for his ground-breaking contributions towards developing the medium of cable television. Strickler teaches courses on Public Address and Media & Society.

Theatre


		Beth Watkins	Office Hours
		Arter 106	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-2308
		Box #: 155
		bwatkins@allegheny.edu


	Beth Watkins, Professor of Communication Arts/Theatre, joined the Allegheny faculty in 1986. Professor Watkins received her M.F.A. in Directing from the Department of Drama and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. Her teaching interests include acting, directing, dramaturgy and performance studies, community-based theatre, women's studies and film studies. For the Playshop Theatre, the producing arm of the department, she coordinates the theatre season and directs annually. Recent productions include The Love of the Nightingale, Arcadia, and Marginalia in sonnet form. In the Fall of 2004, Professor Watkins will serve as the Associate Dean for Faculty Development and as Interim Chair of the Communication Arts Department.


		Daniel Crozier	Office Hours
		Arter 101C	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-4386
		Box #: 136
		dcrozier@allegheny.edu


	Daniel Crozier, Associate Professor of Theatre, graduated from St. Mary's College and received his MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He acted and directed in New York City from 1982-1994. He has worked at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, The Public Theatre, Wow Cafe, PS 122, Symphony Space, and La Mama in New York. He's performed on MTV with pop culture icons such as David Byrne, Cubby Checker and The Fat Boys. Professor Crozier teaches Acting Fundamentals, Voice and Movement, Acting Styles, Oral Interpretation, Tai Chi and the Freshman Seminar Series. He also directs shows and performs for the Playshop Theatre at Allegheny. Recent productions include Carousel, Curse of the Starving Class, Investigation of the Murder in El Salvador and One Flea Spare. He's created two performance pieces: Some Parts Missing or Broken, which played in Erie and New York City and Hit Me. Crozier is involved in workshops on acting and movement for area schools and community groups.


		Mark Cosdon	Office Hours
		Arter 101B	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-2304
		Box #: 45
		mcosdon@allegheny.edu


	Mark Cosdon, Assistant Professor at Allegheny College, has a Ph.D. in theatre history, literature, and criticism from Tufts University. His B.A. is from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Cosdon’s primary areas of research include nineteenth century American theatre, the history of popular entertainments, and the contemporary regional theatre. He has published work in Theatre History Studies, Theatre Research International, Asian Theatre Journal, and Theatre InSight. In addition, Cosdon has presented papers at recent meetings of the American Society for Theatre Research, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, the Mid-America Theatre Conference, and the Popular Culture Association. Before reentering academia, Cosdon was an active Seattle actor and director. He has directed many professional and collegiate productions, including Uncommon Women and Others, Anything to Declare?, A Doll's House, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Private Eyes, Alison's House, Shimmer, Dreams Make Flesh, True West, and Buried Child. Crosdon also chairs the Humanities Lecture Series as well as charhing the Lecture Series, he co-chairs the MATC's Theatre History Symposium of the Mid-American Theater Conference.


		Meg Coyle	Office Hours
		Arter 102A	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-4787
		Box #: 45
		mcoyle@allegheny.edu


	Meg Coyle, visiting assistant professor at Allegheny College, has an MFA in acting from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a PhD in theatre history and performance studies from University of Maryland at College Park. Meg’s primary research areas include eighteenth century Italian comedy and late Commedia dell’Arte, French and Italian culinary history, and contemporary food studies. She is also deeply interested in multicultural theatre. She has a chapter “Il Timpano: The Italian-American Reconciliation of Stanley Tucci’s Big Night,” in a book published by Routledge entitled Reel Food; Essays on Food and Film. She has presented her work at many academic associations, including the American Society for Theatre Research, International Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, and the Group of Early Modern Cultural Studies. She has also presented at the annual DeBartolo Conference for Eighteenth Century Studies. Meg acts occasionally. Her most recent roles include: Claire from William’s Two Character Play, and a gender-bending drag Baptista from Taming or the Shrew. Her most recent directing projects include Our Town and The Happy Journey. She is interested in vocal work, IPA, period acting styles, and performance studies, as well cultural and theatre history.


		Ellen E. Jones	Office Hours
		Arter 12	Click For Office Hours
		814-332-2302
		Box #: 45
		ellen.jones@allegheny.edu


	Ellen E. Jones received her MFA in Lighting and Scenic Design from Indiana University, Bloomington and worked as a freelance designer & scenic artist and an educator. She spent ten years in Chicago designing and painting for professional companies that included the Tony Award winning Victory Gardens Theatre, Raven Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, Stormfield Theatre, and Chicago Dramatists Workshop. She painted commercially for Chicago Scenic, Ronsley's Design Center, Paper Moon Productions, and Renown Productions as well as completing a number of privately commissioned murals and faux finish treatments. While in Chicago she taught at Lake Forest College and Loyola University of Chicago. Her other academic appointments include faculty positions with Williams College and Hampshire College in MA; University of Florida, Gainesville; and the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to her MFA, Ellen has both a BA in Theatre and a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She holds union credentials with United Scenic Artists Local #829 as a lighting designer, a scenic designer, and a scenic artist. She is a former Lighting Commissioner and Steering Committee Member of the United States Institute for Theatre Design and Technology. She rejoins academia after seven years in the corporate theatre world with Syracuse Scenery and Stage Lighting, Inc. and, more recently, as Sales Manager at Limelight Productions, Inc.


		Gail Kralj	Office Hours
		Costume Shop	M-F 8:00 - 12:00 M-F 1:00 - 5:00
		814-332-3415
		Box #: 45
		gail.kralj@allegheny.edu





		Jim Sumerfield	Office Hours
		Arter 4 or Scene Shop	M-F 8:00-12:00, 1:00-5:00
		814-332-3785
		Box #: 45
		james.sumerfield@allegheny.edu


	Jim Sumerfield joined the staff of the Communication Arts department in 1995 as a technical theatre intern. He is currently serving as the Assistant Technical Director for the Playshop Theater. A 1989 graduate of Allegheny College, Jim has a broad range of professional technical theatre experience that includes event lighting and system design with Vincent Lighting Systems of Cleveland, OH, sound system installation with RCI Systems in Maryland, and properties work as well as touring productions with the San Francisco Opera Center and the The Western Opera Theatre. Apart from the day-to-day management of the scenery shops and production crews, Jim's responsibilities in the department extend to teaching Theatre Production in conjunction with Scott Choffel, occasional lighting and sound design work in the Playshop Theatre, and creating a visual archive of Playshop Theatre events. On and off campus, Jim has a special interest in occupational safety and fire safety, and serves in the local area as an Assistant Fire Chief.


		Scott Choffel	Office Hours
		Arter 4	M-F 8:00-12:00, 1:00-5:00
		814-332-2358
		Box #: 45
		scott.choffel@allegheny.edu




Department Secretary


		Samantha Stephens	Office Hours
		Arter 102B	M-F 8:00 - 12:00 M-F 1:15 - 4:00
		814-332-2370
		Box #: 45
		sstephen@allegheny.edu


	Samantha Stephens joined the staff of the Communication Arts department in 1989. Samantha is the secretary for the Communication Arts department and the box-office secretary for the Playshop Theatre. She has a B.A. from Allegheny College and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

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Video Production

Media and Rhetoric

Theatre