Curriculum Vita

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre / Performance Studies

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, December 2014

  • Dissertation Title: “Homo artificialis: humanity as a performative construct”
  • Awarded Graduate College Assistantship
  • Courses of Study: Theatre History, Cinema History, Critical Methods, Producing the New Script, Interactive Media as Drama, Multimedia and Performance, Motion Capture Techniques, Documentary Filmmaking, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Motion Capture. Currently taking: Special Topics in AI, Virtual Reality, Popular Culture.

Master of Arts in Theatre

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, December 2004

  • Thesis Project: “I am the Databank: Remediating Heiner Müller’s Hamletmachine for the 21st Century”
  • Awarded Graduate Assistantship
  • Courses of Study: Acting Pedagogy, Graduate Theatre History, Period Style and Form, Research Methods, Performance Studies/Celebrity, Lighting Design, Scene Design, Staging Image and Text, International Puppetry, College and University Teaching, Performance Studies/Gender and Sexuality.[/li] [/list_circle]

Bachelor of Arts

Centre College, Danville Kentucky, June 1990

  • Double Major in Theatre Arts and English
  • Secondary Education Certification
  • John C. Young Scholar
  • Trustees Scholar
  • Courses of Study: Acting I & II, Directing, Technical Theatre, Shakespeare, Restoration Comedy, 20th Century Drama, German, general Liberal Arts curriculum.

GRANTS AND AWARDS

  • 2008-2009 Graduate Student Exchange Fellowship to Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen, Germany
  • 2008 August Staub Award for Outstanding Graduate Student – Department of Theatre and Film Studies, University of Georgia
  • 2006 Office of the Vice President for Research International Travel Grant – University of Georgia
  • 2006 Dean’s Award for Research in the Humanities – University of Georgia
  • 2005 ICE Grant – University of Georgia
  • 2005 & 2006 Jo Ann Terry Walker Scholarship – University of Georgia
  • 2004-2006 UGA Graduate School Assistantship
  • 2002-2004 BGSU Departmental Graduate Assistantship

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

  • “Performance, Technology, and Science: Book Review.” Theatre Journal 61.4, December 2009.
  • “Hamlet and the Acting Machine: A Case Study.” CRI (Center for Research in Intermediality) Conference “Intermediality, Theatricality, Performance, (Re-)presentation and the New Media,” University of Montreal, Canada, 24-30 May 2007.
  • “Theatre and Film: A Comparative Anthology: Book Review.”Theatre Journal, December 2006.
  • “Acting Machines: Virtual actors and media agency in performance.” VIII. Internationaler Kongress der Gesellschaft für Theaterwissenschaft, Erlangen, Germany, 16 October 2006.
  • “Begum Barve: A Performance Review.” Baylor Journal of Theatre and Performance 3.1, Summer 2006.
  • “A Living Doll: Barbie and the Construction of Posthuman Celebrity.” Association for Popular Culture 2006 annual conference, Atlanta, Georgia. Paper presentation.
  • “Toward a Posthuman Theatre.” Paper presentation. Festival of Original Theatre 2005, University of Toronto.
  • “Creative Aesthetics in Modernist Art,” The John C. Young Scholars Journal, Vol. 1, 31-46. (As Michelle R. Mills)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

October 2012 – present: Europa-Universität Flensburg, Germany

  • English Grammar
  • Pronunciation
  • Writing Skills
  • Translation
  • Oral Communication, including
    • Presentation Skills
    • Theater in English

October 2010 – July 2012: Otto Friedrich Universität Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany

  • Englisch für Lehramt
  • Advanced Grammar Practice
  • Landeskunde
  • Presentations in English

October 2008 – August 2012: Let’s Talk Language and Communication

  • Business English Levels A1 – C1
  • TEFL Certified
  • One-on-one and Small Group
  • Siemens Preferred Provider

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Instructor of Record

  • DRAM 3290: Script Analysis
  • DRAM 2000: Theatre Appreciation

Teaching Assistant Instructor

  • DRAM 2120: Introduction to Film Studies

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio

Graduate Assistant Instructor

  • THEA 141: The Theatre Experience

Fall 2000: King College Theatre Department, Bristol Tennessee

  • Guest Instructor in Scenic Painting
  • One-day seminar for theatre students in preparation for production of The Tempest

Fall 1991- Spring 1993: Liberty High School, Bedford, Virginia

  • Sophomore & Junior English
  • Advisor for Liberty Players Drama Club

PRODUCTION HISTORY

2013

English Shorts — Director — Universität Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany

2007

365 Days/365 Plays – Stage Manager – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Hamletmachine– Media Director – University of Georgia and 7 Stages, Atlanta, Georgia

2006

Triptych – Director – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

2005

Anna in the Tropics – Dramaturg – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
The Ticket – Director – University of Georgia and Donny’s Skybox, Second City, Chicago

2004

A Christmas Carol – Media Director – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
HamletMachine – Director – Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio

2003

The Laramie Project – Scenic and Multimedia Designer – Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio.
Winner 2003/2004 Joey Award for Best Scenic Design
 Vinegar Tom – Scenic Designer – Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Winner 2002/03 Joey Award for Best Scenic Design

1999

Freedom – Lighting Designer – Music Video, Tamara Bracken Dance Studio, Blountville, Tennessee

1998

The Crucible – Abigail Williams – Kingsport Theatre Guild, Kingsport, Tennessee

1996

The Secret Garden – Director, Scenic/Lighting Designer – Kingsport Parks and Recreation, Kingsport, Tennessee

1995

Beauty and the Beast – Director, Scenic/Lighting Designer – Kingsport Parks and Recreation, Kingsport, Tennessee
The Odd Couple (Female Version) – Lighting Designer – Kingsport Parks and Recreation, Kingsport, Tennessee

1994

Wait Until Dark – Scenic Designer – Kingsport Theatre Guild, Kingsport, Tennessee

1993

Beauty and the Beast – Director, Scenic Designer, Faculty Advisor – Liberty Players, Bedford, Virginia

1992

Up the Stage Over – Director, Scenic Designer, Faculty Advisor – Liberty Players, Bedford Virginia
Murder by Death – Director, Scenic Designer, Faculty Advisor – Liberty Players, Bedford, Virginia

1991

Dark of the Moon – Various Townspeople – Centre College, Danville, Kentucky

1990

On the Verge – Senior Thesis – Center College, Danville, Kentucky

1989

House of Blue Leaves – The Little Nun – Centre College, Danville, Kentucky

1988

The Crucible– Abigail Williams – Centre College, Danville, Kentucky

OTHER EXPERIENCE

2005-2007 Publicity Coordinator, University Theatre

Department of Theatre and Film Studies
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Graduate Assistantship Assignment
Leader of departmental publicity team, responsible for all aspects of University Theatre’s seasonal marketing, including advertisements, promotion ideas, and press relations. Supervised undergraduates working in Publicity Office as part of department’s Applied Drama program.

2004/2005 Publicity Office, Department of Theatre and Film Studies

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Graduate Assistantship Assignment
Member of publicity team for department’s University Theatre, responsible for creation of postcards and newspaper advertisements.

2004 Treehouse Troupe (Theatre for Young Audiences)

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Graduate Assistantship Assignment
Responsible for construction of set and puppets for touring group targeted to elementary school audiences; assisting students in creation of workshops for elementary students; and driving/school liaison duty on a rotating basis.

2004 Scene Shop, Department of Theatre and Film

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Graduate Assistantship Assignment
Responsible for various shop duties in preparation for seasonal productions, including set construction, instrument hang/focus, post-show strikes, and general maintenance. Supervise undergraduate students in the scene shop.

2002-2003 Publicity, Department of Theatre and Film

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Graduate Assistantship Assignment
Responsible for creation of press releases, production programs, newspaper advertising, posters, flyers, and brochures.

1999-2001 Creative Solutions Design Group, Inc.

Kingsport, Tennessee
Co-founder and CEO of graphic design firm offering advertising and marketing design, website design, and other creative project needs.

COMPUTER COMPETENCIES

Proficient on both Mac and Windows platforms
Microsoft Office Suite
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat
Macromedia Dreamweaver, Flash, Director
Autodesk Motionbuilder
Vicon 2.0, 2.5 with Optical Motion Capture
Experience in Prolog, Lingo, C++, HTML, ASP, Javascript

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

United States Institute for Theatre Technology
American Society for Theatre Research
Association for Theatre in Higher Education
Popular Culture / American Culture Association
International Digital Media and Arts Association
Association for Computing Machinery / SIGGRAPH
American Association for Artificial Intelligence
Phi Kappa Phi
International Association for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language