Division of Arts & Humanities
Integrative Arts, B.A. (IARAL)
Faculty
Dance Faculty
KT Huckabee
Assistant Professor of Integrative Arts and Dance
Office: 127 Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Phone: 814-949-5441
E-mail:
Caitlin Osborne
Instructor in Dance and Intergrative Arts
Office: 127 Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Phone: 814-949-5602
E-mail:
Music Faculty
Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber
Assistant Professor of Music
Office: 130 Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Phone: 814-949-5641
E-mail:
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Canadian-born mezzo soprano Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber is active in oratorio, cantata, and operatic circuits. She has appeared as a soloist with such organizations as the Bach Concert Series, Friday Morning Music Club Chorale of Washington D.C., the Annapolis Chorale, the Susquehanna Valley Chorale, NIH Philharmonica, and the Harford Choral Society. Highlights include Bach’s "St. John Passion," Handel’s "Alexander’s Feast" and "Urtrecht Te Deum," Mozart’s "Solemn Vespers of the Confessor," Mendelssohn’s "Elijah," Haydn’s "Mass in Time of War," Handel’s "Messiah," Beethoven’s "Ninth Symphony," and several cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach. Recent recital credits include concerts in Rome, Italy, and The Aspen Institute. Among Ms.Cutsforth- Huber’s operatic credits are performances with Kentucky Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Rome Festival Opera, and Amici Opera; favorite roles include Marcellina in Mozart’s "Le Nozze di Figaro," Carmen in Bizet’s "Carmen," Meg in Verdi’s "Falstaff," Emilia in Verdi’s "Otello," and the Countess in Massenet’s "Andrea Chenier." Ms. Cutsforth-Huber is also an active scholar. She is a two-time winner of the Rey Longyear award from the American Musicological Society (south central chapter). She was also the winner of the 2002 National Opera Association Scholarly Paper Competition. Her articles and book reviews have appeared in publications such as "Music Research Forum," "The Opera Journal," "Journal of the National Association of Teachers of Singing," and "American Music." She also contributed a chapter to the book "Just Tell the Story: Troubled Island," which focuses on the first opera of African America composer William Grant Still. Her dissertation "The Operas of William Grant Still" was the winner of the 2003/2004 National Opera Association Outstanding Dissertation Competition. Ms. Cutsforth-Huber holds a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from the University of Saskatchewan, a Master’s degree in vocal performance from Southern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Kentucky. She is active in several musical organizations, including The National Association of Teachers of Singing, The American Choral Directors Association, and the National Opera Association.
A. David Villani
Instructor in Communications and Music
Office: 141 Learning Resources Center
Phone: 814-949-5298
E-mail:
Theatre Faculty
Selena Ambush
Instructor in Theatre Arts
Office: 103E Sheetz Family Health Center
Phone: 814-949-3334
E-mail:
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Selena Ambush has been on, behind or in front of a stage since the seasoned age of six. She has worked as actor, director, and instructor at professional and municipal theatres throughout Central Florida and is a recipient of the Gulf Coast Arts Council’s "Distinguished Artist."
Selena spent a season at Meadow Book Theatre in Detroit, Michigan’s largest professional theatre, and nearly a decade in New York City as a theatre professional. Off-Broadway, Selena has directed several new and established works with many reputable companies including Yankee Repertory, WOW Café Theatre, Sanguine Satellites, Actor’s Studio Playwright-Director Workshop, Little Spoons Productions, Bank Street Theatre, The Ukraine and the New York City Fringe Festival. She holds an MFA in Directing from the Actor’s Studio Drama School at New School University.
Selena’s articles as a freelance writer of theatre previews and reviews have been seen in such publications as "The Village Voice," "L," and "Pod Magazine." She has been on the faculty at Bronx Community College, part of the City University of New York, and The College of New Rochelle. At present, Selena is a member of the theatre program faculty at Penn State Altoona and directed last year’s production of "SkyLines" by 2008-09 Emerging-Writer-in-Residence David-Matthew Barnes.
Eleanor Feeley
Theatre and Gallery Manager
Office: Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts Box Office
Phone: 814-949-5451
E-mail:
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Eleanor Hart (Noel) Feeley is the Theatre and Gallery Manager at Penn State Altoona and facilitates the administration and programming for a 400-seat theatre, galleries, dance studio, scene shop and conference spaces. She serves on the Board of the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance, the Altoona Community Theatre and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. In the past, Noel has worked as a lighting designer, a grants program specialist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and as a theater and museum non-profit arts administrator.
Marlene Liszka
Instructor in Theatre Arts, Technical Director
Office: 100 Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Phone: 814-949-5371
E-mail:
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Marlene Liszka has been the technical director of the Wolf Kuhn Theatre in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts for the past ten years. She was technical director of the Mishler Theatre for nine years. Her passion is lighting and she works with many organizations in this capacity. She is a graduate of Clarke College and has an M.A. from the University of Michigan.
Robin Reese
Assistant Professor of Theater Arts
Office: 126 Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Phone: 814-949-5350
E-mail:
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Robin Reese (director/choreographer) is an assistant professor of theatre arts at Penn State Altoona. She holds her M.F.A. from the Actors Studio Drama School/New School University where she was the teaching fellow and received voice and acting scholarships. Robin is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and has appeared off-Broadway, off-off Broadway and in regional theatres, playing classical, contemporary, musical theatre, and experimental roles. As a director, Robin is a recipient of Merit Awards for Distinction in Directing from The Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival for both her Penn State Altoona productions, "The Tempest" and "Medea." New York City directing credits include "Othello," "Troilus and Cressida," and "Rosemary with Ginger" as well as the New York City Actors Studio premiere workshop reading of her own play "The Inquisition," with Tony Award winning actress Carlyn Glynn. Most recently, Robin directed Robert Auletta’s adaptation of "The Persians" for New York City’s Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute/New York University. Robin is also a successful playwright and screenwriter. In 2008, she was named a Semi-Finalist for the prestigious O’Neill Playwright’s Conference. Her work has been produced in New York City, Delaware and Philadelphia. Recently, two of her monologues from her full length play "Folkdance" appear in "One on One: The Best Men’s Monologues for the 21st Century," published by Applause Books. Robin studied dance and choreography at Temple University, University of Maryland, College Park, and University of California, Los Angeles and has been dancing and choreographing in New York City and regional theatre since 1990. She has traveled the United States and Italy with her physical theatre work.
Laurencio Ruiz
Instructor in Theatre Arts
Office: 126C Smith Building
Phone: 814-949-5747
E-mail:
Contact:
Ms. KT Huckabee
Assistant Professor of Integrative Arts and Dance
Office: 127 Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Phone: 814-949-5441
E-mail:
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