Faculty & Staff

The Department of Theatre and Dance boasts a rich, diverse, and highly collaborative faculty of professionals and educators dedicated to serve the Arts and TROY students. Our Department strives to maintain an open door policy which means we welcome the opportunity to discuss your growth in class, rehearsals, and production.

To jump quickly to a particular Faculty/Staff member, simply click on their name below:

Tori Lee Averett

Tori Lee Averett brings a strong and committed voice for all arts education. A graduate of TROY with degrees in music education, theatre, and a master’s in music education. Tori inaugurated our Upstairs Studio Theatre directing the production of The Boys Next Door and co-directed Hamlet with Adena Moree, garnering Kennedy Center-American College Theatre Festival achievement recognition. She also appeared in The Robber Bridegroom (Rosamund); A Chorus Line (Bebe); The Women of Lockerbie; Pippin (Catherine); The Diary of Anne Frank (Mrs. Frank); Nunsense (Sister Robert Anne). Tori also choreographed several musical productions including Snoopy, She Loves Me, Forever Plaid, and Urinetown. Tori was a Kennedy-Center American College Theatre Festival Irene Ryan top 16 finalist in Region IV. Currently she teaches Creative Drama, directs Summer Spotlight Creative Drama Camp, and works with the Musical Theatre Ensemble.

Jane Barwood

Jane Barwood is the departmental secretary. She received a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University, taught kindergarten for ten years and then was an Educational Administrator. Upon retiring from education, Jane was looking for a new career challenge when the opportunity to come to the Department of Theatre and Dance arose.

Quinton Cockrell

Quinton Cockrell is a native of Birmingham Alabama and brings a rich history of performance to TROY. He received his undergraduate degree from Birmingham -Southern College and the MFA degree from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Professional Actor Training Program. He has worked with numerous theatre companies in New York City and throughout the United States, including Riverside Shakespeare Company, Westbeth Theatre, John Houseman Theatre, Playwright's Horizons, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Studio Arena Theatre, Heritage Repertory Company, Birmingham Children's Theatre, and City Equity Theatre. Additionally, Quinton has worked extensively with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival Southern Writer's Project since 2002. He is a recipient of the Alabama State Council on the Arts Fellowship in playwriting for his plays Low Life and Shot House. Shot House premiered in Paris at L’Ogresse Theatre in July 2007.

David Dye

David Dye, former Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts, served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Speech and Theatre, a position he held for twenty-five years. Holding M.F.A and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University, Dr. Dye brought distinction to the Department and University in acclaimed productions of The Memorandum (KC-ACTF Region IV Showcase), The Importance of Being Earnest (KC-ACTF Region IV showcase), Brighton Beach Memoirs (KC-ACTF Region IV showcase and national runner up, Director’s Choice Award at the Region IV showcase), and Master Harold and the Boys (KC-ACTF Region IV and National showcases, Director’s Choice Award at the Region IV showcase, Kennedy Center Gold Medallion of Excellence Award at the National showcase). His celebrated Pied Pipers Touring Ensemble performed throughout the Southeast for thirty years, bringing improvisational children’s stories to tens of thousands of children in grades K – 5. His stories continue to live on in a new Pied Pipers group that is part of the Department’s First Year Initiative. He received the Amoco Gold Medallion of Excellence Award from the KC-ACTF for his contributions to theatre in the Southeast, the Marian Galloway Award from the Alabama Theatre League, and the Hall of Fame Award from the Alabama Conference of Theatre and Speech.

Tracy Gilland

Tracy Gilland holds a BA from The University of Alabama and a MFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She has toured nationally and internationally as a soloist with Ad Deum Dance Company of Houston, Texas. As a company member, she was selected to assist the director in teaching Modern classes to the Houston Ballet. While living in New York City she performed with The Second Avenue Dance Company, Brooke Notary and Dancers, Deborah Jowitt, Jim Martin Dance Company, and was a soloist, with Hee Ra Yoo and Dancers. She has also performed works for Dancespace Project at St. Mark's Cathedral and performed in the "Field" and "Traditions in Transition" festivals. As a participate of the American Dance Festival, Gilland, was selected to perform repertory works by David Dorfman, Lisa Race and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. She was also chosen to perform with Indonesian choreographer, Sukarji Sriman, for the International Choreographers Commissioning Project. Teaching credits include Vicky Simegiatos Dance Company in Brooklyn, DEMA Dance Company and Hee Ra Yoo and Dancers in New York City. Gilland owned and operated a successful dance school in Alabama before venturing off to New York to continue her career in performance and teaching.

Deborah Chappell Hicks

Deborah Chappell Hicks coordinates the TROY Dance Repertory Ensemble. She holds undergraduate degrees in English, speech, and theatre, and a graduate degree in English, with an emphasis in children’s literature. Since 1987, Deborah has worked closely with the University’s theatre program, having served as choreographer for productions such as City of Angels; West Side Story; Music Man; New Moon; Barnum; and Oliver. Deborah is also a professional storyteller and enjoys presenting workshops for teachers and librarians across the state but enjoys much more performing for children of all ages. Deborah has coached both Junior Miss and Miss Alabama contestants, specializing in voice and diction, interview, and talent. She is also an instructor in the English Department.

Roy Hudson

Roy Hudson is the head of Musical Theatre and Theatre Education and holds the MFA from the Dallas Theatre Center/Trinity University. He was the 2008-09 Alabama Teacher of the Year. For almost thirty years, he has been a director, playwright, designer, educator, and actor in the Birmingham community. From 1995-2010 he was the director of the theatre department at Shades Valley High School, and under his direction, developed into one of the top theatre high schools in the Southeast. Plays from Shades Valley have been named Best of Show in state competitions numerous times as well as competitions through the Southeastern Theatre Conference and International Thespian Society. He also serves as the theatre supervisor to the Jefferson County Board of Education and is the technical consultant for new performing arts centers being constructed by Jefferson County.

August 2009 saw Shades Valley Theatre Academy’s production of Mr. Hudson’s new musical Once a Pond, A Time, performed at the American High School Theatre Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland as part of the Fringe Festival. Mr. Hudson is the cofounder of STARS (Students Take a Role at the Samford) at the Virginia Samford Theatre, an outreach program that gives children from all over the community an opportunity to participate in theatre. In the past two seasons, STARS has produced Les Miserables and Jekyll and Hyde the Musical with students from more than twenty different schools under his direction.

Elie Lazar

Assistant Professor of Dance Elie Lazar founded and directed the Joffrey Ensemble Dancers, the performance group associated with the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City and founded LazarBalletNYC. Born in Israel, Mr. Lazar began his ballet training at age 17 with the Israel National Ballet Company. This led to appearances with the Israel National Opera, the Haifa Ballet and the Inbar Dance Company. Dance fans are familiar with Mr. Lazar’s work as a principal dancer with the New Jersey Ballet where, beginning in 1986, he was known for athletic roles in ballets such as Balanchine’s Tarantella and Stars and Stripes, both coached by Edward Villella. He also danced the role of “Mercutio” in Romeo and Juliet and the principal role in Le Corsaire.

In addition to his acclaim as a dancer, Mr. Lazar is building a reputation as a versatile and inventive choreographer. He received commissions to create ballets for the New Jersey Ballet Company, the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre, Atlanta’s Georgia Youth Ballet, and Japan’s Kumamoto Ballet. He was awarded a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts to create a new work for the Berkshire Albany Ballet. Mr. Lazar organized and trained students from the Joffrey Ballet School to form his first company, expanding the company’s repertoire and commitments.

Mr. Lazar also designed a program of lecture demonstrations to educate school children about dance and the commitment required to pursue the art as a career. He teaches master classes and develops intensive dance programs that are presented as summer workshops or as part of week-long residency seminars that include public performances, lecture demonstrations, master classes and pas de deux classes, as well as general instruction. His teaching commitments have included classes at the Joffrey Ballet School, Broadway Dance Center, Peridance NY, New Jersey Ballet, East Carolina University, University of Kansas City, Tokyo Ballet, Kumamoto Ballet, and SERBA. Mr. Lazar directs and supervises the Summer Intensive he founded. He strives to dispel the idea held by viewers that their individual preferences for one genre of ballet or another cannot be challenged. He contends that those who love traditional story ballets can enjoy modern “abstract” ballets (and visa versa) and endeavors to expand viewers horizons to enjoy all types of dance.

Adena Moree

Adena Moree received the M.F.A in directing from the University of Southern Mississippi where she received awards for outstanding work in directing and musical theatre and came to TROY as Director of Theatre in 1998. A native Floridian and TROY alum, Moree brought a strong vision of theatre, a commitment to excellence, and has since directed plays, musicals, and children’s theatre productions, along with College and University events. Six productions have brought acclaim to the University from the Kennedy Center-American College Theatre Festival: A Midsummer Nights Dream, Two Rooms, Antigone, and A Lesson Before Dying (Region IV Showcases); When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder? and The Guys (Region IV Showcase-first alternates). On the TROY stage she appeared as Berthe in Pippin and Mother Superior in Nunsense. She has served the Alabama Conference of Theatre Board of Directors as secretary and president and KC-ACTF Region IV as the graduate auditions coordinator. In the spring of 2008 Adena was honored by the Kennedy Center-American College Theatre Festival with a National Directing Fellowship.

Kerry O’Brien

Kerry O’Brien, an adjunct faculty member, received the B.F.A. in dance with a concentration in choreography from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. She has studied with and danced for Katie Lagan-Santee, Anthony Farro, Pat Catterson, Elizabeth Higgins, Denise Vale, and Helen Picket. Kerry has been privileged to work with Cornelius Carter, Chet Walker, Jonathan Phelps, Twyla Tharp, and Jason McDole. Kerry’s own choreographic works have been presented not only locally in collaboration with Troy University and the Southeast Alabama Dance Company but have also been seen in New York and even as far away as Japan, where she is a co-founder of the Shachac Touring Company. In addition to teaching and choreographing at TROY, Kerry is a resident guest artist with the Southeast Alabama Dance Company.

Chris Rich

Chris Rich is a designer and the Department's production manager. His work in lighting and sound design has received numerous regional and national recognitions as well as regional recognition for scene design from the Kennedy Center-American College Theatre Festival, including work on Antigone, Two Rooms, Hamlet, and The Women of Lockerbie. A Floridian, Chris received his undergraduate degree from TROY and his M.F.A. from the University of Alabama in lighting design and technical direction. He is a past president of the Alabama Conference of Theatre and sits on the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, where he chairs the Keynote Emerging Artist of Promise Award, giving him another opportunity to mentor young theatre students across the Southeast.

Jennifer Sassaman

Since graduating with an honors BA in Performing Arts Jennifer has directed and choreographed over forty productions; performed in just over half that; recorded vocal tracks for various albums, written several plays and musicals; and taught hundreds of teenagers and college students how to be stronger performers. In May of 2009, she graduated from the Florida State University School of Theatre with an MFA in Directing. Jennifer also started her own theater company in Philadelphia, and was the artistic director for five seasons. Under her leadership, the New Mermaid Players developed not only an adult company that performed and read original work locally and toured to the Northeast every summer, but also a thriving youth component. NMP produced seven youth productions annually, and provided training through its theater school and summer camp intensive. Furthermore, Jennifer initiated an outreach program that linked local artists willing to donate their time with schools that had little to no arts budget. Through the outreach program, NMP was able to produce shows at schools that had not been able to afford productions for many years, and allow students with raw talent to hone their craft with skilled mentors.

Mike Schafer

Mike Schafer is the Department’s Technical Director. He received the MFA in theatre design and technology from Northern Illinois University and in B.A. from St. Ambrose University in Iowa. Mike was actively involved both in the Chicago and Quad Cites areas as a technical director, scenic and lighting designer prior to coming to TROY. Mike’s technical direction credits prior to coming to TROY include Yerma, War and Peace, Far Away, Santaland Diaries, and Season’s Greetings at NIU, for SummerNITE Theatre productions of Leaves from a Fairy Book and Hungarian playwright Andras Visky’s English language premiere of Juliet: A Dialogue about Love. In addition to theatre, Mike worked in Iowa as a para-educator with preschool through 3rd grade special needs children. At TROY Mike teaches Introduction to Drama, Technical Theatre, and coordinates the Stagecraft Lab program. He received national merit recognition for his technical direction of A Lesson Before Dying.

Kristen Koehler

Kristen Koehler is the Director of the Davis Theatre in Montgomery. Since arriving at the Davis, Dr. Koehler has helped increase the popularity and visibility of their Subscriber Series as well as establishing two new series of entertainment (Community Series and University Series) and starting a donor program for the Theatre. A native of Greenville, Pennsylvania, Kristen earned her Ph.D. in Theatre Arts from Bowling Green State University. In addition to her management and teaching experience in theatre, she has also enjoyed serving as a director, designer, and actress in educational and community theatre settings. Prior to her arrival in Montgomery, Kristen was the theatre manager at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. She serves on the board of the Montgomery Arts Council and was named as their Co-Chair of Operations.

John Patton

John Patton brings a rich professional background in the TV and film industry to the Department. A native Arkansan, he received the M.F.A. in Costume Design from the University of California, Irvine. John spent over twenty years in Los Angeles as a costumer, wardrobe master, supervisor, and designer. During that time he received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for No Greater Gift, an ABC Afternoon Special. Since coming to Troy University, John received the Alabama Conference of Theatre’s Lois Garren Award for excellence in costume design for The Guys and has mentored numerous students either studying design at the graduate level or working in the costume industry.