Faculty and Full-time Staff

The School of Dance, Theatre, & Arts Administration
Photo of dancers rehersing at the Ballet Center

Faculty

Kathleen Davis,

Associate Professor of Dance, came to the University with an extensive dance background, including a full scholarship at Jacob’s Pillow where she was coached by Ted Shawn, the “father” of modern dance. She trained with ballet teacher Margaret Craske, and at Washington State University with Ballet Russe ballerina Ruthanna Boris. She was one of the early pioneers in the regional ballet movement in this country. Mrs. Davis founded and directed the North Dakota Ballet and later performed with the Ohio Ballet. With her BA in Dance and MS in Education, she has been a prime mover in the new fifth-year option — Multi-age License — for dance educators seeking to teach in public schools in Ohio. She is currently involved in research on fitness and eating disorders in the dance population.

Adel A. Migid,

Professor of Theatre Arts, Coordinator of Production Design/technology, holds an M.F.A. degree in production design and technology from The Ohio University.  Among other design awards, he was named a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2004, and awarded a grant for research and lecturing in Egypt.  He was also a Carnegie Teaching Fellow in 2003 and 2004.  Mr. Migid, a member of the New York chapter of United Scenic Artists, has over 25 years of experience in academic and professional design and consulting work.  His work includes over 200 productions, corporate designs, exhibitions, and visual communication advertisements with professional and educational organizations including the Cairo Opera House, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Kennedy Center.  It was also included in the United States exhibition at the International Prague Quadrennial in the Czech Republic.

Durand L Pope,

Associate Professor of Arts Administration, Coordinator of Arts Administration, Arts Administration. Durand L Pope holds a B.A. degree in English literature from Brown University and an M.A. in theatre with an emphasis in directing from Case Western Reserve University. After serving 12 years as Administrative Director of the Department of Theatre and Drama and the Brown County Playhouse at Indiana University, he assumed the position of Executive Director of the Indianapolis Opera, a position he held for six seasons. In 1993 he joined the staff of Ohio Ballet as Director of Development, and in 1995 he was appointed Coordinator of the graduate program in Arts Administration at The University of Akron. Mr. Pope is completing his third term on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Association of Arts Administration Educators.

Robin Prichard,

Assistant Professor of Dance, danced with Victoria Marks, Donna Uchizono, David Rousseve, and Opera Australia; and has performed the works of Doug Varone, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, and Doris Humphrey. Her choreography has been seen throughout the U.S. in venues such as Joyce/Soho, Dance Space, Highways, California Choreographer’s Festival, and Dance Kaleidoscope, as well as venues large and small in the U.S. and Australia. She served as choreographer and performer (via motion capture) for the interactive CD “American Idol.” She has received a Fulbright Fellowship in Choreography, the Harkness Award, the Glorya Kaufmann Award for Artistic Excellence, an Australian Federation of University of Women Fellowship, and a Kahn Fellowship. Prichard holds a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase and an MFA from UCLA. She has taught at Arizona State University, University of Western Sydney (Australia) NAISDA (Australia’s National School of Dance for Aboriginals and Islanders), Sydney Dance Company, and Smith College. Her choreographic/research interests include cross-cultural choreography between indigenous and concert dance, the relationship between language and movement in performance, and the potential of dance to negotiate binary oppositions.

James Slowiak,

Professor of Theatre Arts,  and Co-Artistic Director of the internationally acclaimed New World Performance Laboratory.  He received his MFA in Directing from the University of California-Irvine and a BA in Anthropology, French and Dramatic Arts from Macalester College.  At The University of Akron, Mr. Slowiak teaches Acting, Directing, Voice, Movement, and Contemporary Theatre Styles.  He has directed more than fifty theatre events and has conducted numerous workshops in performance ecology and creative training techniques in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.  From 1983-1989, Mr. Slowiak served as Assistant to Jerzy Grotowski.  Mr. Slowiak’s work has been discussed in The Drama Review, New Theatre Quarterly ,and other journals, as well as in the books At Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions by Thomas Richards, Grotowski’sObjective Drama Research by Lisa Wolford, and The Grotowski Sourcebook, edited by Richard Schechner and Lisa Wolford.

Tom Smith

Professor, graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado and an MFA in Dance from the University of California at Irvine. Formerly with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Mr. Smith has performed nationally and internationally as well as on PBS’ Great Performances “Dance in America” series. He has worked with Donald McKayle, Tom Evert, and Joan Lombardi. Mr. Smith’s choreography has been featured several times by the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet as well as by regional companies and musical theatre. As a teacher he has recent national and international experience in Hong Kong, Denmark, and The People’s Republic of China. He also owns the Pilates Gym, The Tom Smith Studio, in Akron.

Susan Speers, Ph.D.,

Professor of Theatre Arts, teaches acting, directing, musical theatre; frequent actor and is a frequent director in the Northeast Ohio area.  Dr. Speers received the Ph.D. from the University of California in Santa Barbara. A producer, director, actor, choreographer, promotions coordinator and artistic director, Dr. Speers was a founding member and artistic director for several years of the Shakespeare productions at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, directing Comedy of Errors, a Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew, Merry Wives of Windsor, and acting in Othello. Other directing credits include Arms and the Man (Weathervane Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (E.J. Thomas Hall, Curse of the Starving Class (Brisbane, Australia), The Medea Myth, A Doll's House, Big River, Oklahoma! and over sixty other productions. She has many acting credits, and served as the Artistic Director of Theatre L'Homme Dieu in Minnesota for 11 years.

Cydney Spohn,

Associate Professor of Dance, is a former soloist with The Pennsylvania Ballet and dancer with North Carolina Dance Theatre. Her repertoire included lead roles in Swan Lake, Cinderella, George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Serenade, Agon, Square Dance, and La Sonnambula, along with works by Joe Goode, Lar Lubovitch, Doug Varone, Paul Taylor, and Lynne Taylor-Corbett. Ms. Spohn is the recipient of an Emerging Choreographer Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and two Princess Grace Foundation-USA awards. Her work has been presented by Columbus Dance Theatre, The Pennsylvania Ballet, and other venues including the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Shut Up & Dance, and the Next Move Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ms. Spohn is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She acquired both a B.S. in Economics (graduating summa cum laude) and a M.A. in Education from The University of Akron. Ms. Spohn has served on the board of directors of CORPS de Ballet International and is currently seated on the board of advisors of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

Full-time Staff

Mary Cooke

Administrative Secretary, joined the staff of the School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration in 2008. Among her responsibilities is providing administrative assistance to the Theatre, and Arts Administration programs.

Pamela Crevcoure,

Costume Designer, received a B.A. in Theatre with Costume Design emphasis from The University of Wisconsin-Greenbay and an M.F.A. in Theatre Costume Design from Western Illinois University.  She designs costumes for the University's dance, theatre, and opera programs.

Frances Donatelli,

Administrative Assistant, joined The University of Akron dance staff in 1992. She assists the Director, manages the Dance office, and assists students.

Christina Foise,

Manager, Dance Institute, holds a BFA in Dance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and an MA in Instructional Technology from the University of Akron. She was a soloist with the Cincinnati Ballet Company, New Orleans City Ballet, and U.S Terpsichore Theatre Ballet (New York City) and was featured in productions of Nutcracker, Giselle, Paquita, Coppelia, Swan Lake Act II, Aurora’s Wedding, Pas de Quatre, Les Sylphides, and Balanchine’s Serenade, Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, Valse-Fantasie, Donizetti Variations, and Raymonda Variations. Prior to becoming Manager of Dance Institute, Ms. Foisie was a prominent member of the Dance Institute faculty under the direction of Gena Carroll and Lana Carroll Heylock and adjunct faculty for the UA Dance Program. Ms. Foisie continues to teach Ballet and Pointe technique for the University of Akron’s degree-granting Dance Program and is also co-instructor for Digital Technology for Theatre and Dance.

Chris Hariasz,

Technical Director, received his master’s degree in Science and Arts Administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia, a Graduate degree in Law from Marie Curie-Sklodowska University in Poland and State Certificate, Theatre Instructor of First Category, Lubland, Poland. He worked at the University of Pennsylvania prior to coming to Akron.

Irene Mack-Shaffer,

Costume Specialist, received a BA in Music (with a focus in theatre) from The University of Akron. She coordinates the Costume Shop and helps to design costumes for the University’s dance, theatre, and opera programs.