Faculty and Staff

MFA, Wayne State University; BS, Western Michigan University | Brent Menchinger is a scenic and lighting designer. Currently, he is the Chair of the Department of Global Languages and Theatre Arts. His research interests include world theatre, multi-media and art history.

MFA, Brandeis University; BFA, University of Florida | Matthew Crider is a movement and acting teacher. His research interests include Stage Combat, Clown and Suzuki Actor Training. He is an Advanced Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors.

Murray State University in 2016 with a B.A. in Theatre. M.F.A. in Choreography from Jacksonville University, Summa Cum Laude. She has trained and studied with the Nashville Ballet Company and is an official alumna of both the Rockettes Summer Intensive Program and the Broadway Dance Center Training Program in New York City, having been mentored by Lizz Picini, Lane Napper of Victorious!, Jill Kenney, and many others. Through the BDC program she is certified as a specialist in Theatre style dance, Jazz, and Tap. She is also a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher through the Yoga Alliance.

MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University; BA, Christopher Newport University | Lissa L. Graham-Schneider is a full professor. She received her MFA in Directing from Virginia Commonwealth University. Lissa works across the country as a professional director, stage manager and actor. She teaches play analysis, and all levels of directing courses. In addition, she teaches children's theatre and puppetry. Lissa also teaches film history and pop culture classes on zombies and sci-fi films.

MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University; MA, Humbolt University; BA, Westminster College

MFA, University of Southern Mississippi; BS, Middle Tennessee State University | Daryl W. Phillipy is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts. Daryl specializes in teaching the Sanford Meisner approach to actor training. Daryl teaches Acting II, Acting III and Acting Shakespeare. He also teaches Voice and Diction and Stage Dialects. Daryl has studied with some of the top acting teachers in the world. This includes Ron Van Lieu, Christopher Bayes, Larry Silverberg and William Esper. Daryl has worked as professional actor and director for over 20 years on stages throughout the United States.

Jack Stoffel is an Instructor of Scenic and Lighting Design in the Department of Global Languages and Theatre Arts at Murray State University. He holds an MFA in Theatre Design from the University of Georgia, focusing on Scenic and Multimedia Design, and a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from Auburn University, specializing in Scenic and Lighting Design. Jack’s professional focus includes Scenic, Lighting, and Multimedia design, with particular expertise in design for performance art. His research interests involve exploring the integration of robotics into live performance. Jack’s work has been showcased at prestigious events such as the Beijing International Biennial and the Prague Quadrennial. He is a United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) member. In addition to his professional achievements, Jack loves Toho Godzilla films

MFA, West Virginia University; BFA, Miami University