Tim Dugan, Associate Professor and Department Chair (Scenic Design; Lighting Design; Stagecraft; Production Scenic and Lighting Designer) Tim received his MFA in Scenic Design from Temple University. Recent designs at Cal Poly include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Beauty Queen of Leenane and What the Butler Saw. In addition to his work at Cal Poly, Tim has designed sets for the Interact Theatre Company in Philadelphia, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and the Foothill Theatre Company in Nevada City, California.
Pamela Malkin, Lecturer and Associate Chair (Introduction to Theatre; Classical Theatre History; Black Theatre; Women's Theatre; Children's Theatre; Production Director) Pamela received an MA in Theatre from Tufts University in Boston. She has co-authored a children's theatre textbook and written a variety of articles on educational theatre. She also worked as a theatre artist in residence for Santa Barbara's Children's Creative Project. She was the line producer for Puppetry: Worlds of Imagination, a one-hour television documentary, as well as a recipient of Cal Poly's annual Distinguished Lecturer Award. Recent productions Pamela has directed at Cal Poly include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Proof and Crimes of the Heart .
Dr. Al Schnupp, Professor (Introduction to Theatre; Playwriting; Script Analysis; Acting Styles; Stagecraft; Production Director and Scenic Designer) Al was trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City before receiving his doctorate from UCLA. He is the recipient of the Margo Jones National Playwriting Award for My Body. Published works include the textbook, Theatre: A Model of the World; a book of original monologues entitled The Harper Chronicles; an improvisational game book called Bravo!; and the play, Censored. His play, The Site, was recently produced at the American Theatre of Actors in New York City. It also was awarded an Honorable Mention from Writer's Digest and the Virtual Theatre Project. Another recent play, The Travels of Tobias, won an "Art Inspires" grant. Recent productions he has directed at Cal Poly include Phedre, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and A Wrinkle in Time. Recent productions he has designed at Cal Poly include The Glass Menagerie and Round Heads and Pointed Heads.
Josh Machamer, Associate Professor (Acting Methods; Theatre in the United States; World Drama; Directing; Voice and Diction; Contemporary Theatre History; Production Director) A Southern California native, Josh received his MFA in Directing from Penn State University. Josh's work includes directing credits in Los Angeles and San Diego as well as production experience in television and film with ABC, CBS and Warner Bros.
Recent productions he has directed at Cal Poly include Round Heads and Pointed Heads, What the Butler Saw and Macbeth. Most recently, Josh has performed as an invited artist in Edinburgh and Sarajevo.
Kathy Dugan, Lecturer (Costume and Craft Construction; Costume Design; Production Costume Designer) Kathy has a degree in Art with an emphasis in Art History and completed post-graduate work at The Art Institute of Chicago. As the principal costume designer at the Foothill Theatre Company in Nevada City for 13 years, she designed over 50 productions. Her designs have won awards and several nominations from the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Association. She has also worked with the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, the Interact Theatre in Philadelphia, Temple University Costume Shop and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Recent designs at Cal Poly include Round Heads and Pointed Heads, The Beauty Queen of Leenane and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Erma Stauffer, Lecturer (Improvisation) Erma received her theatre training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Before coming to California, she performed, directed and taught at The Independent Eye, The Fulton Opera House, Mt. Gretna Playhouse and the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory. She has directed Eleemosynary, The House of Blue Leaves and A Midsummer Night's Dream and co-directed A Wrinkle in Time at Cal Poly. Erma most recently performed as a guest artist in Phedre at Cal Poly.
Sue Kennedy, Lecturer (Make-up for the Film and Stage) Sue received an MFA in Theatrical Design from San Diego State University and has taught stage make-up, costume construction and crafts, costume history and design for UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara City College and Cal Poly Pomona. She has designed both costumes and make-up for UC Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Grand Opera, Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera, Western Stage, The Rubicon Theatre and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
Philip Valle, Lecturer (Introduction to Theatre) Philip is a playwright, director and performer. He attended UC Berkeley, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has an MFA from Arizona State University with emphases in Contemporary Performance Theory, Theatre for Young Audiences and Education. His original works have been produced both nationally and internationally. In 2002, he received the Arizona State Dean's Award for Research and Creativity for his multimedia production of Lincoln's Sassy Nation. He recently composed the original music for Cal Poly's production of Round Heads and Pointed Heads.
Howard Gee (Technical Director) has been on staff in the Theatre and Dance Department for more than 25 years. With an MFA in Design and Theatre Technology from the University of Utah, he taught at Moorhead State University before coming to Cal Poly. Howard has also designed lighting scenery, costumes, props, special effects and sound on some 300 productions from opera to dance and pageants, as well as serving as stage manager, technical director and production manager. Howard is acting with the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology.
Rachel Messner (Administrative Support Coordinator) joined the department in July 2007. She received a B.S. in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Before coming to Cal Poly, Rachel worked in human resources in Pennsylvania and in the chancellor's communications office at UCLA. She is responsible for all budgetary, curriculum and academic issues affecting both the theatre and dance programs of the department.
