Faculty Research + Creative Activity
Active, vital, and vibrant
Our department thrives on research and creative activity—it’s the basis of everything we do. When we stage professional productions, we consider the significance of particular works, the history of our craft, and study the many components of staging the production. Our faculty are respected and active professionals in their areas of expertise. They are award-winning directors, playwrights, choreographers, designers, and actors who perform in our region and across the globe. They are leaders in the discovery and dissemination of cutting-edge practices that are highly impactful on our students’ educational and professional experiences.
"Fostering Inclusivity"
Associate Professor of Theatre Katherine Garlick was selected to present her research, “Fostering Inclusivity in Academic Costume Spaces,” during a juried poster session at the National Conference of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology in Baltimore.
Costume rendering
As a costume designer, Katherine Garlick, Associate Professor of Theatre, first examines a script and discovers the characters. She subsequently determines how to use clothing and costumes to help tell the story to the audience—to help tell who the characters are. A large part of that process is called rendering, or putting design ideas on the page. Every costume must have a drawing, and she may use an array of drawing materials and tools to bring designs to life. Watch Professor Garlick’s process evolve from a blank page to a fully rendered costume design.
Puppets take center stage
Todd Dicken, Lecturer of Theatre, developed a new minor in Puppetry. Open to all students on campus, the program focuses on innovative experiences in making objects come to life for the purpose of creating works of theatre.
Designing costumes
Associate Professor Katherine Garlick designed and built costumes for It Had to Be You,directed by Helga Terry, at Pittsburgh’s South Park Theatre. Garlick also presented a clinic on costume rendering techniques at the 2020 United States Institute for Theatre Technology Conference.