http://www.csudh.edu/theatre/faculty

Welcome to the California State University,

Dominguez Hills Theatre Arts Department's

Faculty and Staff page.

The faculty and administration at our Theatre

Arts Department is made up of dedicated and

talented professionals from around the country.

We hope you enjoy these Biographies.

CSU Dominguez Hills Faculty and Staff - Academic Year 2003-2004

Full Time Faculty	Part Time Faculty	Staff
Peter Rodney	Steven Morris	Stewart Christie
Rex Heuschkel	Charles Walker	Michael Chen
Sydell Weiner	Elizabeth Taheri	Carin Jacobs
Bill DeLuca		Victoria Miller
Donis Leonard

Peter Rodney

Education
• B.A. 1971, Queens College of The City University of New York
• M.A. 1972, University of Connecticut • Ph. D 1980, Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Rodney has been Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts from 1982 - 1988, and 1992 to the present. He teaches courses in Acting, Introduction to Theatre and T.V., Film & Theatre.He also teaches Special Topics in Theatre such as Voice and Theatre Management. He has appeared at Cafe La Mama, the Cleveland Playhouse, the Ferndale Repertory Theatre, the Pacific Arts Conservatory, and the Nutmeg Summer Theatre in Connecticut. He has directed numerous College and University productions, including TARTUFFE, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, AS YOU LIKE IT, WEST SIDE STORY and NUNSENSE. He has headed acting programs at Humboldt State University, CA, Elmira College, N.Y., and Berea College, OH, as well as CSUDH. He continues to work as a Consulting Artist for the Whitefire Theatre Company in Sherman Oaks, Ca.

Contact
E-mail address: prodney@csudh.edu

Rex Heuschkel

Education
• B.A. 1967, Humboldt State College
• M.A. 1971, Humboldt State University

For the past thirty years Rex has been a successful theatre designer in all aspects of the industry. Both professionally and academically, he has designed well over three hundred productions in a very active and rich career that has been characterized by numerous awards and achievements including two Drama League Awards, the Gold Medallion Award from The American College Theatre Festival, The Excellence in Design Award from ACTF, and, several awards of recognition from theatre and production organizations. Rex has also been actively involved in professional organizations such as the American College Theatre Festival in which he served as a member of the National Committee, as Regional Chair, and, as Regional Design Coordinator. He has served as a vice president of the Southern California Educational Theatre Association and is also an active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology for the past twenty five years.

Contact
E-mail address: rheuschkel@csudh.edu
Office number: 310.243.2210
Office fax: 310.217.6974

Sydell Weiner

Education
• B.A. 1968, State University of New York, Binghamton
• M.A. 1974, California State University, Los Angeles
• M.S. 1996, Marriage and Family Counceling, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Ph.D. 1986, New York University

Sydell Weiner is a director and actress from New York. She received her acting training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Yale School of Drama, and has performed professionally in both New York and Los Angeles. As a director, she has staged A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, GYPSY, A CHORUS LINE, UNCOMMON WOWEN AND OTHERS, CRIMES OF THE HEART, A SHAYNA MAIDEL, EQUUS, THE DINING ROOM, THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHO and DINNER WITH FRIENDS. She teaches Acting, Directing, Creative Dramatics, Speech and Play Analysis.

Dr. Weiner has published articles in both The American Journal of Psychotherapy and the Journal of Clinical Psychology comparing the art of theatre to the practice of psychotherapy. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Torrance. Dr. Weiner is also listed in Who's Who in Entertainment, Who's Who Among American Women, and Who's Who in the World. She is a recipient of the Lyle Gibson Distinguished Professor Award for excellence in teaching.

Contact
E-mail address: sweiner@csudh.edu

William R. DeLuca

Education
• B.S. 1972, Villanova University
• M.A. 1974, Villanova University
• M.F.A. 1979, Directing, Yale School of Drama

William DeLuca is a director, writer, and teacher from New York. He has worked at the Guthrie Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, and the Yale Rep, and has taught Acting and Directing at colleges in New Hampshire, Ohio, New Jersey, and California. Prof. DeLuca has directed such shows as TWELFTH NIGHT, BOY, ANTIGONE ,THE MISANTHROPE, FENCES, MAN OF THE FLESH, HARVEST MOON, THE ART OF DINING, THE BOURGEOIS GENTLEMAN, ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, ON THE VERGE, FOR COLORED GIRLS, at both regional and university theatres across the country. Prof. DeLuca teaches Directing, Playwriting, Theatre History, Drama Literature, Creative Dramatics, Multicultural Diversity in American Theatre and The Power of Masks. He is the project director of Teatro Dominguez a multicultural theatre company of students, faculty, and staff devoted to cross cultural enhancement at CSU Dominguez Hills. For Teatro, he has directed numerous contemporary works along with original plays based on multi-cultural folk tales that tour the southland area. Teatro Dominguez also brings artists and touring companies such as Culture Clash and the Mark Taper Forum to the CSUDH campus and sponsors the annual Women’s Play Festival Contact

E-mail address: bdeluca@csudh.edu
Office number: 310.243.2400
Home page: http://www.csudh.edu/bdeluca/

Donis Leonard

Education
• M.F.A. Wayne State University, Detroit

Donis Leonard, Assistant Professor of Theatre, is the director of the Speech and Forensics program at CSU Dominguez Hills. He is also the founder/director of the "New African Grove" Black Theatre Program for the University where his directing credits include: August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson", "The Shadow Box", "Miss Evers' Boys", and Pearl Cleage's "Flyin West" which was recognized as "Best Drama of the South Bay in 2000" by the Daily Breeze. Mr. Leonard is especially honored to begin a new partnership between Cal State Dominguez Hills and the NAACP award winning Robey Theatre Company, co-founded by Bennet Guillory and Danny Glover. More information on this working relationship can be found at: www.robeytheatrecompany.com

Contact
E-mail address: dleonard@csudh.edu

Steven Morris

Steven is a playwright and theatre critic. He is currently serving as senior theatre editor of the L.A. Weekly, where he has contributed a regular column since 1993, and for which he has received two awards for excellence by the Greater Los Angeles Press Club. Morris also writes drama criticism for Back Stage West, DRAMA Magazine in London, and World's Fair Magazine in San Francisco, among others. His most recent work BEECHWOOD DRIVE, as part of the International Theatre Festival, will be performed in Lublin, Warsaw and Berlin. Another play MOSCOW will be performed in L.A. as part of the Hot Properties Series, co-produced by the L.A. County Arts Commission and A.S.K. Theater Projects. His plays have been staged in L.A. by the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles Theatre Center, the Actors' Gang, Pacific Resident Theatre and Playwrights Arena as well as at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Tricycle Theatre in London. He is the recipient of two Drama-Logue Awards for playwriting.

Contact
E-mail address: TBA

Charles Walker

Education
• B.A. Theatre Arts, CSU Los Angeles
• M.A. Speech Communication, CSU Los Angeles

Charles has been a profesional actor for 30 years, appearing in national commercials such as McDonalds, Honda, Aleve and AT&T. Also, he has appeared in films such as Liar, Liar, Set It Off, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Trippin, Colors, and many television shows including The Practice, 90210, Melrose Place, Sparks, and Columbo. He has also worked in radio and television news reporting, in Nashville, Tennessee, and Detroit, Michigan.

Contact
E-mail address: TBA

Elizabeth Taheri

Education

M.F.A. 1997, Theater Performance University of South Carolina
B.A. Theater, California State University Long Beach

As an Actress and Director, Ms. Taheri has worked in professional and regional theaters across the country. With a special interest in Shakespeare, her credits include The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Santa Barbara, the South Carolina Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Orange County and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. As a director, her numerous plays include GREASE, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, SOUTHERN GIRLS, ALL IN THE TIMING, BLITHE SPIRIT and WAITING FOR GODOT. Along with performing both classical and contemporary works, she has also been seen on television on West Wing and Just Shoot Me.

Contact
E-mail address: TBA

Stewart Christie (1976) Technical Director

Education
• B.A. 1974, Chapman University

Stewart Christie is the Technical Director for the Theatre Arts program. He also serves as Theatre Manager for the University Theatre. Stewart has been at CSUDH for 16 years, almost as long as the University Theatre complex. "Stew" also designs shows, and directs for the local Civic Light Opera. When Stew isn't working, he's fishing.

Contact:

email address: schristie@csudh.edu

Michael H. Chen (2000) Shop Foreman

Education
• A.A. 1991, Drama, National Taiwan Academy of Arts

· B.A. 1997, Ottawa University, Kansas

· M.F.A-in progress, Scene Design and Technology, CSU Long Beach

Mike Chen has been the shop foreman at Theatre Arts for the last two years. He builds all our sets, supervises student production crews, works with designers and directors, and conducts the safety programs in our production programs.

Contact:

email address: mchen@csudh.edu

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