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 KELLY ALLISON
Our Production Manager/Head of Design and
Technology has numerous professional credits
including work for the Guthrie Theatre, the Alabama Shakespeare
Festival, the USA International Ballet Competition,
7 Stages, Horizon Theatre Company, Actor's
Express, the American Folk Ballet, Southern
DanceWorks, Carolina Playwright's Center,
the 13th Street Ensemble, fourteen seasons with the Utah Shakespearean Festival (including USF's Tony Award-winning season), and The Alabama Ballet, where he is currently Production Director
and Resident Lighting Designer.
Kelly has taught courses
at the University
of Minnesota, the University
of Wisconsin
at LaCrosse, the University
of North Carolina
at Charlotte, Luther College,
Normandale
College, and The Hong Kong
Academy for the
Performing Arts.
OFFICE: ASC 287
(205) 934-8776
kallison@uab.edu |
JACK CANNON
Jack is a 1985 alumnus of the UAB Department
of Theatre and holds an MFA in Directing/Acting
from the University of Arizona, received
in 1992. In 1998 Jack was invited to direct
Twelfth Night for the National Shakespeare Conservatory
in New York. He has written two plays for
children: Mother Goose, which had its premiere at the Birmingham
Children's Theatre, and Fairy Tales, based upon the book written by Monty Python's
Terry Jones and produced by UAB while Jack
was still an undergraduate. He has worked
professionally as a stage manager, tour manager,
actor and director -- and spent three years
teaching High School Drama at Birmingham's
Ramsay High School. Here at UAB Jack teaches
hundreds of students every semester in our
Introduction to Theatre courses, and also teaches Acting 154 and the new course Teaching Theatre in the Secondary School.
OFFICE: ASC 281
(205) 996-4397
jjcannon@uab.edu |
CHERYL HALL
Cheryl teaches hundreds
of students every
semester in our Introduction
to Theatre course,
and somehow makes time
to occasionally direct
or design scenery for our
shows as well.
A winner of the prestigious
Lois S. Gerren
Award for Excellence in
Scenic Design (for
The African Company Presents "Richard III"), Cheryl received her MFA in Scenic Design
from the University of Arizona.
For four seasons Cheryl was also one of the
stars of the radio drama series Bodylove. She played Fadelia Walker, favorite character
of most fans of the program.
OFFICE: ASC 288
(205) 975-6454
challthr@uab.edu |
RON HUBBARD
 Ron has worked professionally as an actor,
acting coach, director, fight choreographer,
and movement specialist. He has been a member
of Actors' Equity for 15 years and with The
Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers
for five years. He has directed over 80 productions
(many for TV and film), and served as fight
choreographer and movement coach for over
300 productions. He has also performed stunts
in half a dozen feature films. Ron teaches
film acting, stage combat, and actor movement.
You can see his web site
at www.SwordsAndFists.com
OFFICE: ASC 260
(205) 934-8290 
rhubbard@uab.edu |
 MARLENE JOHNSON
We know Marlene as a voice, dialect, and
text coach -- but she is also an accomplished
actor and director. She has an MFA from Virginia
Commonwealth University, and an MA from Miami
University in Oxford, Ohio. She trained at
the American Repertory Theatre with Bonnie
Raphael, Shakespeare and Company with Kristin
Linklater, the Canadian National Voice Intensive
with David Smukler and Judith Koltai, National
Theatre in London with Patsy Rodenburg, Roy
Hart Theatre in South Paris, Maine, Frankie
Armstrong in Herefordshire, England, aCatherine
FitzMaurice, and Terry Schreiber at Terry
Schreiber Studio in NYC. She has served as
vocal director for the Alliance Theatre,
Theatre Virginia, PA Stage Company, and Theatre
Outlet, among others.
She directed and led a
tour of three one-act
plays in the Czech Republic
in 2004, and
the next year taught Acting
Shakespeare in
London at the University
of Westminster.
She has served on the board
of the Voice
and Speech Trainers Association
and currently
is Voice and Speech Chair
for SETC. Marlene's
list of acting credits
is an impressive one,
including a Philadelphia
production of John Brown's Body starring James
Earl Jones.
OFFICE: ASC 258
(205) 934-8079
majohns2@uab.edu |
KARLA KOSKINEN
Karla teaches classes in both directing and
acting and will direct productions for UAB.
She is a member of the Society of Stage Directors
and Choreographers and has directed professionally
for over 25 years. Karla has directed for
numerous companies including Phoenix Theatre,
Shakespeare on the Green, Heritage Artists,
Music Theatre North and Trinity Players.
For twelve years she was the Artistic Director
of Shakespeare on the Green, a professional
summer Shakespeare festival in the Chicago-land
area and also served as Artistic Director
for Heritage Artists and Music Theatre North.
She received a Zoni Award for Outstanding
Overall Production for Morning's At Seven
at Phoenix Theatre as well as two Zoni nominations
for Outstanding Direction.
She has held academic appointments at University
of South Carolina at Columbia, DePaul University,
Western Michigan University and Barat College.
OFFICE: ASC 258
(205) 934-8079
koskinen@uab.edu |
 DENNIS McLERNON
Dennis McLernon, Associate Professor, is
Head of Performance in The Department of
Theatre at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
In April 2007 the Kennedy Center/ American
College Theatre Festival awarded Dennis the
Actors Center
Teacher Development Fellowship.
He completed
a two week residency in
New York City this
summer at The Actors Center
working with
Christophr Bayes, Head
of Physical Acting
Yale School of Drama, in
clown and physicality,
Ron Van Lieu: Chair of
Acting, Yale School
of Drama in contemporary
scene work, Slava
Dolgachev: Artistic Director,
New Theatre
of Moscow, in Stanislavski
and Chekhov, as
well as J. Michael Miller
founder of the
Tisch School of the Arts,
and William Esper,
Chair of the Rutgers Department
of Theatre,
in acting theory.
In 2002 Dennis appeared
in the Acadamy Award
nominated short film Johnny
Flynton filmed
in Birmingham. Dennis is
a member of Actor's
Equity Association and
a founding company
member of Birmingham's
professional acting
company, City Equity Theatre.
In 2006 he directed
American Buffalo, their
inaugural production.
He appeared in their follow
up production
as Edward in Someone Who'll
Watch Over Me,
and in 2007 as Johnny Pateen
Mike in The
Cripple Of Innishmaan.
During 2005 Dennis
was a member of the acting
ensemble with
the Alabama Shakespeare
Festival as Reverend
Tooker in Cat on a Hot
Tin Roof, and in Coriolanus
as Titus Lartius. As Associate
Artist in
2005 with the Orlando Shakespeare
Festival
he appeared in their premiere
showcase of
Robinson Crusoe in the
title role. Dennis
is a founding company member
of The 13th
Street Ensemble, the professional
theatre
in residence at UAB in
the Alys Stephens
Center and has appeared
there in the title
role of King Lear, as well
as John in Oleanna,
Freddy in Noises Off, Charlie
in The Foreigner, as Elyot Chase in Private
Lives, and as Weasel
in T-Bone and Weasel.
Dennis has served on the
board of The Alabama
Conference of Theatre.
He is a production
respondent in Region IV
for Kennedy Center
American College Theater
Festival. He is
also a regular program
presenter at the Association
of Theatre in Higher Education
and The Southeast
Theatre Conference. His
directing credits
at UAB include The Tempest, The Piano Lesson, The Seagull, The Body of a Woman As a Battlefield In The Bosnian War, Falsettos,
and Hay Fever. He has also staged Beauty and the Beast, Androcles and the Lion, The Snow Girl, and The Reluctant Dragon with
The Birmingham
Children's Theatre.
Dennis also serves as Head
of Recruitment
for the Department of Theatre
so please don't
hesitate to click on his
email and ask a
question!
OFFICE: ASC 261
(205) 934-8300
mclernon@uab.edu
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 SHARON MORGAN
Sharon is a graduate of Jacksonville State
University. She spent three seasons at Tony-Award-winning
Utah Shakespeare Festival as the senior costume
tech and wardrobe supervisor. She is the
owner of internationally known Altered Tyme
Corsets and independent contractor with Romantasy
Corsets, the oldest modern custom corset
business in the country. Sharon has freelanced
at several Atlanta based theatres including
the Alliance and worked for the JSU Opera
Company as the costume designer. She is currently
our Cutter draper and assistant costume shop
manager. She recently taught her first class
at UAB, Intro to Costumes and Make up, after
becoming adjunct faculty.
OFFICE: ASC 255
(205) 934-934-8262
sharonmm@uab.edu |
 ELIZABETH AYRES POLLARD
Seen here modeling one of her masks for our
production of Antigone, our Assistant Professor of Costume Technology
and Costume Studio Supervisor holds a BA
from New Mexico State University and an MA
from Arizona State University. She has taught
and designed at Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, and
Millikin Universities. Her professional experiences
include design for the Tennessee Repertory
Theatre, milliner for the Alabama Shakespeare
Festival, painter/dyer for the Colorado Shakespeare
Festival, shop manager and draper for Shakespeare
in Santa Fe, and most recently, draper for
Shakespeare & Co.
OFFICE: ASC 284
(205) 996-4396
epollard@uab.edu |
 KIMBERLY SCHNORMEIER
Ms. Schnormeier is the Associate Chair of the Department and also is the primary advisor for theatre students.
She has designed costumes for numerous professional companies including Birmingham Children's Theatre, Horizon Theatre Company,
the Ashlawn-Highland Summer Opera Festival, West Virginia Public Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, 13th Street Ensemble and
Williamstown Theatre Festival. She has a special interest in Japanese costume and also enjoys creating the occasional puppet.
Kim teaches Costume Design, Costume History, Pattern Drafting and Construction and Special Topics in Costuming.
She received her MFA from Northwestern, where she also worked for several years as a cutter/draper.
OFFICE: ASC 251
(205) 934-8775
kaschnor@uab.edu |
LEE ERIC SHACKLEFORD
 A writer for stage, television, and radio,
Lee teaches our scriptwriting courses as
well as Play Analysis and a variety of other
subjects. Beginning in 2004 he was Head Writer
and Producer for four seasons of our radio
drama series Bodylove, which featured the writing and acting of
many UAB students.
As our Resident Playwright,
Lee creates new
works for us such as those
performed by the
Bookends touring group. Among his many other produced
works are several that were first mounted
on UAB stages, such as Pawn to King's Bishop, and
mayfliesfast, --
and Holmes & Watson, which enjoyed a successful run off-Broadway
with Shackleford in the role of Sherlock
Holmes. Over the years he has also dabbled
in stage special effects, creating illusions
for Radio City Music Hall and the Metropolitan
Opera, and is the author of a popular book on the subject. He sometimes directs for us as well, including
his adaptation of the 1920 Czech
play R.U.R. and pieces in our
annual Festival of Ten-Minute Plays.
Lee is an Active Member
of the Dramatists Guild.
OFFICE: ASC 289
(205) 975-8755
leeshack@uab.edu |
CLIFF SIMON
Cliff Simon has designed at the Truck and Warehouse Theater, the Lamb's Club, Playwrights' Horizons, T. Schreiber Studios in New York,
the George Street Playhouse in New Jersey, the Cleveland Play House, for Zach Scott Theatre, Tapestry Dance Company, Rude Mechs,
Zilker Summer Theatre, and for UT in Austin, the Riverside Playhouse in Vero Beach, and the Bigfork Summer Playhouse in Montana. In
Birmingham Cliff has designed for Birmingham Festival Theatre and Birmingham Children's Theatre -- and here at the UAB, where he teaches Scene Design,
Painting, and Photoshop Rendering. Seven of his digital designs are part of the permanent collection of the Lore Degenstein Gallery
at Susquehanna University. He has also, since the 1970s, been baking and painting edible cakes for the likes of Diana Ross, Madonna, and
his mother Lil. He believes he is very fortunate to be in the business of designing, and that he is even more fortunate to be in the business of teaching at UAB.
OFFICE: ASC 286
(205) 934-3247
csimon@uab.edu |
VESSELA WARNER
Dr. Warner teaches theatre history, dramatic
literature, and special topics in theatre.
Before coming to UAB, she taught theatre
history and acting, as well as directed at
Centre College, KY. Vessela has focused her
research on modern European theater and criticism,
South Slavic literature and theatre, and
comparative Balkan drama. Her scholarship
was published in Baylor Journal of Theatre
and Performance, Balkanistica, Serbian Survey,
Bulgarian Studies Association Newsletter,
and Macedonian Studies. She also has a chapter
in the forthcoming book Theatre and Dance
in Eastern Europe: The Changing Scene. Warner
received her Ph.D. in theatre history and
dramatic theory from the University of Washington,
M.A. in Slavic literature and linguistics
from Sofia University St Kliment Okhridski,
Bulgaria, and B.F.A. in Directing from the
National Academy for Theater and Film Arts
in Bulgaria.
OFFICE: ASC 282
(205) 996-4401
warnerv@uab.edu |
WILL YORK
 Professor York is our Department Chair. An Equity actor and a regional chair and
member-at-large for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, Will has worked in a wide variety of theatre
venues. He was Head of Performance at Auburn
University and Director of the Professional Actor Training/MFA Program at
the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. He has also held faculty positions at the
University of Colorado, the University of
Washington, and Ohio University. Currently
he is also a Consultant for the UAB Voice
Treatment Center at the Kirklin Clinic.
Will has performed and directed with the
Alabama Shakespeare Festival's resident company,
was Artistic Director of Colorado's Boulder
Ensemble Theatre, and a founding member of
The Group in Seattle. From 2004 to 2007 he
was also the director of the radio drama
series Bodylove, heard on sixteen radio stations across the
state.
OFFICE: ASC 252
(205) 934-3406
yorkwill@uab.edu |
ED ZUCKERMAN
Ed has worked as a Technical Director and
Set and/or Lighting designer for professional
theatre and dance companies from New Jersey
to California. Stops in between have included
New American Theatre, Arkansas Repertory
Theatre, Birmingham Children's Theatre, The
Springer Opera, West Virginia Public Theatre,
East Carolina Summer Theatre, Southern Appalachian
Repertory Theatre, and Charlotte Repertory
Theatre. Ed is currently the Technical Director
for The Alabama Ballet.
He is an MFA graduate from Wayne State University
and has served on the design/production programs
at Bowling Green State University, Auburn
University, and The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte.
OFFICE: ASC 281
(205) 934-4741
zucker@uab.edu |
| STAFF |
LEE ADLAF
Lee is our Scenery Shop Supervisor and is
responsible for maintaining a safe, educational,
and productive environment in the UAB Theatre’s
Scenery Shop. Lee has been with the UAB since
August 2006 after receiving his MFA in Technical
Production from the University of Arizona,
Tucson. During his educational career, Lee
also worked in various scenic construction
shops as well as for a number of theatrical
organizations. Besides all aspects of scenic
construction, Lee has a strong interest in
theatrical automation and moving scenery.
OFFICE: ASC 255
(205)975-8818
Adlaf@uab.edu |
PHILLIP ANDERSON
The Department's Props Master has been with
UAB since 1990. For ten years he was Technical
Assistant and Props Master for Town &
Gown Theatre, and served as Props Advisor
for the Department. Starting in 2000 he became
our full time Props Master, serving the Sirote
and Odess theatres in the Alys Stephens Center.
In addition to creating and acquiring new
properties and managing one of the largest
prop inventories in the area, Phillip also
assists many of the local community theatres
and area high school and university theatre
departments with their prop needs. Graduating
with a BFA in theatre from the University
of Montevallo, he spent several years working
in theatre in North Carolina, and in the
summer stock companies of Birmingham Summerfest
Theatre.
OFFICE: ASC 255
(205) 934-3591
pba@uab.edu |
MEL CHRISTIAN
Our Program Manager joined UAB Theatre in April, 2005. She is a native of Northport, AL and holds an MFA in Drama and Communications from the University of New Orleans. Formerly she served as Executive Director for ACT (the statewide organization The Alabama Conference of Theatre) and Artistic Director of the MEL-O-DRAMA Children's Performing Arts Workshop. She serves on the Grants Review Committee and Performing Arts Focus Group for The Alabama State Council on The Arts. For Theatre UAB she's responsible for coordinating our four touring troupes, grant writing, general production accounting and planning special events. In her extremely limited spare time Mel enjoys performing on stage and working with young actors as a director and mentor.
OFFICE: ASC 257
(205) 934-3237
cmel@uab.edu |
KRYSTAL KENNEL
Krystal is our Stage Electrics
Coordinator.
This is her first semester
here at UAB. She
recently received her MFA
from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. For
the past eight
summers, Krystal has been
a resident lighting
designer at The Ohio Light
Opera. She calls
Michigan home, but has
spent time working
at such theatres around
the country including,
The Hartford Stage Company,
Dallas Theater
Center, Madison Repertory
Theatre, and Meadowbrook
Theatre in Rochester, MI.
Krystal has also
taught at Wagner College
on Staten Island
and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
(205) 996-9585
kkennel@uab.edu |
BILLIE SHELDON
Billie is our Administrative Associate. She
came to UAB in 1982, and has enjoyed working
with the students and faculty for many years.
Her duties include working with department
budgets, class scheduling, scholarships,
grants, payroll, and various other aspects
of the academic program.
OFFICE: ASC 254
(205) 934-3288
bshel@uab.edu |
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