Theatre Studies at Concordia University Texas

Past guest artists have included costume designers Cecelia Gay and Jessi Rose, and Alex Waring; fight choreographer Clint Lienau; lighting designers, Yi-Tai Chung, Kristin DuBois, Erin Fleming, and Mercedes McCleary; puppeteer, Kevin Long; set designers, Bren Coombs, Sam Gonzalez, and Michael Krauss; and lighting and sound designer/technician Smokey Westerfeld.

Concordia University Texas Faculty

Dr. Kelly Carolyn Gordon (Ph.D. Theatre and Certificate in Women’s Studies, University of Georgia; M.A. Directing, Emerson College; M.S. Organizational Leadership and Ethics, St. Edward’s University; SAG/AFTRA Eligible) is the Director of the School of Fine Arts and Director of the Theatre Studies program at Concordia University Texas. A freelance director, actress, dramaturge, and writer, Gordon has taught at Brevard College, UNC-Greensboro, UT-Dallas, and Ohio University. She trained at Piven Theatre in Chicago, and La Mama's International Symposium for Directors in Umbria, Italy, as well as earning a certificate from the Management Development Institute of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Her writing has appeared in Theatre History Studies, Lighting Dimensions, The Encyclopedia of Modern Drama, The Dallas Morning News, Ecumenica, and The Encyclopedia of Motherhood. In 2009, she was awarded the Robert A. Schanke Theatre Research Award by the Mid-America Theatre Conference In 2012, The American Theatre and Drama Society recognized her work with The Vera Mowry Roberts Research and Publication Award. Gordon earned a Meritorious Award for Innovation and Cultivating Artistic Voices from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 6 in 2020. She has recently appeared on Walker, Fear the Walking Dead, and the HBO limited series, Love and Death. Gordon is the granddaughter of actor Eddie Bracken.

Hsiao-Wei Chen(Scenic Designer, KINDERTRANSPORT) is an Austin based visual storyteller, scenographer and artist. She enjoys visual storytelling with diverse skills and broad aesthetic in design of creating both environment and character. Hsiao-Wei is excellent in cooperation, communication and creative thinking with both design and management background. Her works include film, music video, theatre, opera, musical to dance and she is eager to explore more different media storytelling formats. Some of her rewards credits include the 2022 Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize of Opera America, USA (Salome, costume design), Silver Remi of Music Video-Student on 2021 54th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, USA (Lose Myself, production design), The Audience Award and the New Talent Jury Award on 2019 National Film Festival Youth, Seattle, USA (Lucky Girl, production design), Special Mention on 2019 Kaohsiung Film Festival, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Chi: the method of breathing, costume design). More of her work: www.hsiaoweichen.com

Liam Dolan-Henderson (Production Manager/Lighting Designer) is a Lighting Designer and Audio Engineer from Austin, Texas. He holds a B.A. in Theater and Dance and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been performing and working in theater since a young age, and has done everything from acting to carpentry, directing, and more. Liam has worked and designed for the Austin Symphony, Austin Classical Guitar, Ventana Ballet, Butler School of Music, large conventions, and Broadway tours. Liam particularly enjoys designing for the performing arts and plans to continue to design and create in these fields.

Madison Murrah (Costumer) is a costume designer, actor, cosplayer, and content creator from Dallas, TX. Previously, Madison's costuming work was seen in Kindertransport and The Spitfire Grill at Concordia University Texas, Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, Edit Annie, Throwbacks: Reruns, and Dragonfly Princess at The Vortex Rep; Pippi Longstocking, Junie B Jones: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Jungle Book: Jangal Ki Kihani, Sir Knightsalot and the Great Dragon Dance-Off, and the upcoming The Rainbow Fish Musical at Scottish Rite Theater. See more on Instagram: @madisonmurrah

Bridget O’Neill (Instructor, Acting for the Camera) is an actor, theatre educator, world traveler, and public speaking professor who hails from a village in Wisconsin that’s so small it doesn’t have a stoplight. She has been acting since the age of 8 and hasn’t stopped seeking the spotlight since. After receiving her BFA in Acting from Boston University she moved to LA to work in film and stand-up comedy for 6 years. In 2018 Bridget was offered to start an acting program in Tainan, Taiwan. While there she developed new methods of English language teaching based on theatre training techniques. She received her MA in Educational Theatre In Colleges and Communities from New York University in 2021. There she conducted research on the benefits of Documentary Theatre and Verbatim Performance methods in the English as a Foreign Language classroom. Since then she has taught acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and public speaking at Marymount Manhattan College and Manhattan College. Her passion and dedication to her own art has only grown through the practice of teaching.

Abigail Pena (German language coach, KINDERTRANSPORT) joined Concordia's Voice Faculty in the Fall of 2015. While at Concordia, she founded the Concordia Young Voices Competition. Prior to Concordia, Abigail served on the faculty at New York University. Abigail's students have gone on to study at top tier programs such as Indiana University, The University of Michigan, University of Texas, Baylor University, Oklahoma City University and New York University. In additional to classical voice performance, her students have also appeared on Broadway and in film. As a clinician, she has served on the panels for the TMEA All-State and TAPPS voice competitions. Abigail has appeared in recital throughout North America and Europe and has performed as a soloist under the batons of notable conductors Marco Armiliato, Edoardo Muller, and Daniel Beckwith, among others. She has performed multiple roles in oratorio and opera including Bach's Magnificat, Bach's St. Matthews Passion, Mozart's Vespers, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte (Fiordiligi), Britten's Albert Herring(Mrs. Herring), And Lerner and Loewe's Brigadoon(Fiona). Her primary teachers have included W. Stephen Smith, Carolann Page, Dianna Heldman, and Camille Gifford

Kendra S. Wiley (Production Manager; Technical Director; Design/Tech and Dance Faculty ) holds an M.F.A. in lighting design from the University of Texas at Austin. Kendra is a theatre designer, dancer, and choreographer who explores the intersection of dance and design in their creative work. Professor Wiley serves alongside Dr. Mary Kay Johnston as co-advisor to the Storm Makers Dance Club. This summer, Kendra worked as technical director and scenic designer for Alice in Wonderland at AISD’s Summer Theatre Series. Notable lighting design credits include Lardo Weeping (LOLA, 2022), The Addams Family and Disney’s Newsies (Brentwood Christian School 2022), 12 Ophelias (UT Austin 2019), and Good Country (UT Austin New Works Festival 2019). In 2020, Kendra also designed their own M.F.A. thesis performance, in which they performed a twenty-minute solo dance while controlling the lights from the stage.

2023-24

• "Kindertransport" by Diane Samuels

2022-23

• "American Son"
• "The Spitfire Grill"

2021-22

• "14"
• 'Til Death Do Us Part: A Vintage Radio Special

2020-21

• "An Anthology Project"
• "The Suffragist Project"
• "Murder-Ween: An Evening of Spooky, Vintage Radio Plays"

2019-20

• "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)" by Ann-Marie MacDonald
• "Little Shop of Horrors," book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, music by Alan Menken

2018-19

• "A Moment of Silence" by Mohammad Yaghoubi
• "Tartuffe" by Moliere

2017-18

• "SEVEN," conceived by Carol Mack, written by seven award-winning playwrights: Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith, and Susan Yankowitz
• "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss

2016-17

• "The Way of the Water" by Caridad Svich
• "An Enemy of the People" by Henrich Ibsen

2015-16

• "Bocon" by Lisa Loomer
• "Permanent Collection" by Thomas Gibbons

2014-15

• "Antigone" by Sophocles
• "The Exonerated" by Jessica Blank and Eric Jensen

2013-14

• "The Container" by Clare Bayley
• "The Clean House" by Sarah Ruhl

2012-13

• "Doubt" by John Patrick Shanley
• "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged [Revised]" by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield

Auditions and participation in design/tech roles are open to all members of the Concordia University Texas community. No experience is necessary; we will train you!

Students may participate in productions beginning their first semester, with the option of earning academic credit.

Typically, students are asked to perform a memorized, one-minute monologue from the period and style of the play for which they are auditioning.

Rehearsals are held in the evenings and occasionally during the daytime if the actor’s schedule permits. We try our best to work around actors’ work, athletics, and school schedules.