Faculty and Full-time Staff

The School of Dance, Theatre, & Arts Administration

Photo of dancers rehersing at the Ballet Center

Faculty

Andrew Carroll,

Associate Professor of Dance, holds a BFA in Dance and a MA in Arts Administration, from The University of Akron. Mr. Carroll danced as a principal with the Ohio Ballet while earning his undergraduate degree, performing in South America, Europe, and across the U.S. Upon graduation, Mr. Carroll joined The Pennsylvania Ballet. During his performing career, he danced as a soloist in many classical roles, including Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, and the Sugar Plum Cavalier in Pennsylvania Ballet’s annual The Nutcracker. He also danced the leads in many Balanchine ballets, including Serenade, SquareDance, Agon and The four Temperaments. In 1992, Mr. Carroll was named a cultural ambassador of Philadelphia, when he and five other dancers were chosen to represent the city by performing in China. Currently Mr. Carroll has developed a national reputation as a guest choreographer and master teacher.

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.

Lana Carroll Heylock,

Head of University of Akron Dance Institute, holds a BFA from The University of Akron and was a leading dancer in New York City with Jennifer Muller/The Works Dance Company. As rehearsal director and Special Projects Director for the company, she set Muller ballets on major dance companies around the world. Ms. Heylock also danced with the Pearl Lang Dance Company and the Ohio Ballet. She has taught master classes and workshops at renowned schools such as The Limon Institute, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, The American Dance Festival, Jacobs Pillow, The Vienna Festival, and The Royal Ballet of Flanders School. In addition to serving as Head of the Dance Institute, a pre-professional dance program at The University of Akron, Ms. Heylock teaches modern for the UA dance program.

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.

Marc Ozanich

Associate Professor of Dance, came to The University of Akron in 1973 after working in Europe and serving as a professor of dance at Florida State and Kent State Universities. He holds a BA in Art (sculpture) and an MA in Dance (choreography) from the University of California at Santa Barbara and Los Angeles respectively. He was a member of the Gloria Newman Company and a Fellow in dance at Bennington College, and has worked with such historic choreographers as Nijinska and Lifar and the contemporary Lynn Taylor-Corbett. Mr. Ozanich’s career included the creation of a number of landmark roles in the Ohio Ballet repertory and free-lance work with modern, ballet and opera companies such as Cleveland Opera, Ohio Light Opera, Opus II Dance Company, and Cleveland Dancers Repertory Company where he also served as Artistic Director. He has won the coveted Ohio Arts Council Choreographic Fellowship and continues to do numerous choreographic commissions. Baroque dance is an area of special creative interest.

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 has recently completed two terms on the Board of Directors of the Association of Arts Administration Educators.

Stephen Skiles,

Assistant Professor of Theatre, graduated with a BA in theatre from Hanover College, and an MFA in acting from the Professional Actor Training Program at Ohio University. He did further study at The Royal Shakespeare Institute (in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company) with Robert Smallwood in Stratford, England. Mr. Skiles is an active member of Actor’s Equity Association and has performed regionally at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Phoenix Theatre, The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Monomoy Theatre, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. He was also a founding member and actor of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. His directing credits include the Cincinnati Playhouse, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Xavier University, Cincinnati State College, Anderson High School, The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Preparation Program and The Drama Workshop, where he received an Excellence in Directing Award for his work on Paul Osborn’s Mornings at Seven. Holding the Paul A. Daum Professorship at the University of Akron, Mr. Skiles serves as the faculty advisor for the student-run Theatre Guild, teaches acting, audition and script analysis courses, and directed the 2008 production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. He also continues his professional activity as a director and actor.

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,

Assistant Professor of Dance, is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and a former soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Ms. Spohn’s repertoire included the Sugarplum Fairy in the Nutcracker , Balanchine's Serenade , Agon , and The Four Temperaments , along with works by Joe Goode, Lar Lubovitch, Paul Taylor, and Lynne Taylor-Corbett. Ms. Spohn has received an Emerging Choreographer Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and a Special Projects Grant by the Princess Grace Foundation. Her work has been presented by Columbus Dance Theatre, The Pennsylvania Ballet, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Shut Up & Dance and the Next Move Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and dancers of Ohio Ballet at Cain Park, Cleveland. Ms. Spohn holds both a B.S. in Labor Economics and a M.A. in Social/Philosophical Foundations of Education from The University of Akron and currently serves on the advisory board of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

Full-time Staff

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.

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.

Jeremy Sayers,

Theatre/Stage Technical Specialist, received his master’s degree in English from The University of Akron. Jeremy has been active at the University since 1984, and in theatre since 1990. In addition to his technical production responsibilities, he farms and is a published author.