Theatre and Dance
Head: Jay W Pecora
Administrative Assistant: Laura L Peary
TEL: (315) 267-2556 Timerman Hall 205
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Kerri L CanedyVisiting Assistant Professor Theatre and Dance
Kerri L CanedyVisiting Assistant ProfessorPerforming Arts Center 227
canedykl@potsdam.edu
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Todd P CanedyAssociate Professor Theatre and Dance
Todd P CanedyAssociate ProfessorPerforming Arts Center 217
canedytp@potsdam.edu
I am originally from Southern California where I received a B. F. A. in Communications, Emphasis in Technical Theatre from Chapman University and an M. F. A. in Set Design from California State University, Fullerton. I have worked all over the country, in and around the theatre industry in many facets. Although, my main focus is Set Design and Technical Direction, it is not limited to these areas; I have a solid portfolio in scenic art, lighting and costume design. Prior to working at SUNY, Potsdam, my teaching career is as follows: Bowling Green State University and the Huron Playhouse, Instructor/Technical Director Bowling Green, OH Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Assistant Professor of Design /Technical Director, Weatherford, OK Lawrence Academy, Technical Director of Theatre, Groton, MA As a mentor, be it in the theatre or in life, I educate people with the skill set to succeed, give them the goal and then watch them rise to responsibilities placed upon them. The students must be given the scaffolding to create a compelling portfolio to begin their theatrical career. More Info |
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Robin L. CollenProfessor Theatre and Dance
Robin L. CollenProfessorPerforming Arts Center 222
collenrl@potsdam.edu
Education: BA/MS, Dance, University of Oregon PhD, Dance, Texas Woman's University CMA (Certification in Laban Movement Analysis), Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies. Dr. Collen began teaching at SUNY Potsdam in 1998. She teaches courses in Laban Movement Analysis, Modern Dance, Ballet, Dance History/Appreciation, Pilates, Improvisation, Pedagogy, and Composition. At SUNY Potsdam her choreography has included contemporary works, musical theatre--including Cabaret and Ragtime--and operas--The Sailor-Boy and the Falcon, Orpheus in the Underworld, Venus and Adonis, and Dido and Aeneas. Dr. Collen is affiliated with National Dance Education Association, Congress on Research in Dance, Society of Dance History Scholars, Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, and Motus Humanus. She serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Dance Education. She is also a member of the New York State DanceForce, a consortium of dance activists committed to increasing the quantity and quality of dance activity throughout New York State. Dr. Collen is the recipient of the 2011 SUNY Potsdam President's Award for Excellence in College Service. More Info |
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Cynthia DuFaultAssociate Professor Theatre and Dance |
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Rivka EckertAssistant Professor Theatre and Dance
Rivka EckertAssistant ProfessorPerforming Arts Center 218
eckertsr@potsdam.edu
Rivka Eckert is a community cultural development theatre-maker interested in the arts as a means of cross-cultural communication. Eckert studied Theatre Education and Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College, and earned her MFA in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University. Eckert has taught Theatre and English in prisons, high schools, and middle schools and worked with the Peace Corps in Samoa and Liberia. In her current position in the Theatre and Dance Department at SUNY Potsdam, Eckert teaches Applied Theatre, Directing, Acting/Scene Study, and Play Interpretation and Analysis. More Info |
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Thomas E GrabowskiPerforming Arts Center Facilities Manager Theatre and DanceThomas E GrabowskiPerforming Arts Center Facilities ManagerPerforming Arts Center 229
grabowte@potsdam.edu
Tom Grabowski graduated from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois receiving a BA in Theatre and Physics. He received his MFA in Design from The University of Illinois. He began at then Pan American University (later the University of Texas-Pan American) in 1981 as a staff member with responsibilities for set and lighting design for the University Theatre within the Department of Communication and after a year became a lecturer. In the fall of 2000 he was appointed to an Assistant Professor position and in 2006 was promoted to Associate Professor. He became Interim Chair of the Department of Communication in 2011 and became Chair in Fall 2012. As the University became The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2015, he became the chair of the new Department of Theatre/Television/Film. In his 35 years with the University he has designed sets and lights for over 300 productions for the University Theatre, the Music department, the Dance Ensemble and the Folkloric Dance Company. He was a member of the design team that planned the construction of the Communication Arts and Science Building that houses the Jeffers Theatre (297 seat thrust) and the Studio theatre in 1984, the Academic Performing Arts Center that opened in 2014 and was a consultant to the design of the Student Union in 1999 that includes the Union Theatre (500 seat proscenium). He is active with USITT and USITT-Upstate NY. He served as vice president for membership from 2002-2016 for USITT-SW. In 2016 he retired from UTRGV and accepted a position on Visiting Associate professor at the department of Theatre and Dance at SUNY Potsdam. He enjoys sunsets and sharing rainbows. More Info |
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Jay W PecoraAssociate Professor and Department Chair Theatre and Dance
Jay W PecoraAssociate Professor and Department ChairPerforming Arts Center 225
pecorajw@potsdam.edu
Director of Program in Theatre Education BFA in Acting, The Theatre School at DePaul University Dissertation: DRAMA AND THE HOLOCAUST: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF STUDENT AND TEACHER EXPERIENCE IN A HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM Research interests: Devised theatre, applied theatre, drama for underserved populations, African American theatre, urban education. Classes taught: Intro to Performance Studies, History of Theatre I & II, Field Experience I, Applied Theatre, Theatre for Young Audiences, History of African American Theatre, Voice and Speech I. Memberships: NYSTEA, TYA-US, AATE, ATHE, NIDT. NYS Teacher Certification in Social Studies 9-12, Theatre K-12. More Info |
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Mary Beth RobinsonAdjunct Instructor Theatre and Dance |
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Joshua B VinkAssistant Professor Theatre and Dance
Joshua B VinkAssistant ProfessorPerforming Arts Center 226
vinkjb@potsdam.edu
Joshua is a new faculty member in The Department of Theatre and Dance at SUNY Potsdam. He teaches courses in Arts Management and Theatre, the former of which he is helping to spearhead a new program for at the college. He moves to the North Country from Maine where he taught at Bates College and worked as Executive Director of a local arts agency there. He began his career in New York City where he worked for fifteen years as an arts administrator, educator and artist. As founding director of education at Peoples Theatre Project in Washington Heights, NYC, he brought project based initiatives in multiple artistic disciplines to schools, community centers, and the public, serving predominantly low income and immigrant communities. As a teaching artist and professional development facilitator for Lincoln Center Institute and The Dreamyard Project, he trained teachers and taught students at a diverse array of colleges and public schools. As a theatre artist, he has worked Off-Broadway, regionally and in independent film. He is a founding member of Connecticut Free Shakespeare, where he worked for five seasons, and is a proud member of Actors Equity Association. As a playwright, his first full length play, The Lords of Wye (based on the narrative autobiographies of Frederick Douglass) piece underwent a workshop and public reading with Peoples Theatre Project in the Audubon Ballroom at the Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Cultural Center in New York City in May 2011 and read as part The Classical Theatre of Harlems Playwrights Playground in 2016. He holds an MFA in Classical Acting from The Shakespeare Theatre Companys Academy for Classical Acting, and bachelors degrees in English and Theatre from The State University of New York at Buffalo. More Info |