Robert Westenberg Chair / Assistant Professor of Theatre rwestenberg@drury.edu (417) 873-6342 Mr. Westenberg joined the Drury University Theatre faculty after a lengthy commercial career that includes work on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in regional theatres, national tours, television and film. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in the original Broadway casts of Into the Woods as the Wolf and the Prince, for which he received a Tony nomination and Drama Desk Award, Secret Garden as Neville Craven, and Sunday in the Park with George, where he replaced Mandy Patinkin in the title role. Other Broadway credits include Javert in Les Miserables and Niko in Zorba, for which he received the Theatre World Award. While known for his work in musical theatre, he has also appeared in numerous plays and classic works, including Shakespeare, in theatres around the country. Mr. Westenberg is a graduate of Fresno State University and holds an M.F.A., studying at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and ultimately graduating from the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver. He is the director of The Broadway Cabaret, Shakespeare in the Schools, and last season directed Twelfth Night. This past summer he appeared opposite Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan, portraying both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook.

Dr. Robin Schraft Professor of Theatre / Director of Academic Computing rschraft@drury.edu (417) 873-7326 A graduate of New York University, Dr. Schraft specializes in directing, acting, theatre management and design. His commercial career includes work as a director, designer and stage manager in New York, summer stock, national tours and Branson. He has spoken on design at numerous theatre conferences throughout the United States and Canada. He is an active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology having served for many years as the Vice-Commissioner for Computer Applications for the Lighting Commission of the Institute. Last December Dr. Schraft returned to the Springfield Ballet as a guest artist in their production of The Nutcracker, appearing as Drosselmeyer. His credits include lighting and sound design for the Springfield Regional Opera's production of A Little Night Music, directing and lighting design for MSU Tent Theatre and Southwestern Summer Stage in Texas. Last year he directed Arsenic and Old Lace and designed lighting and sound for Twelfth Night. The production of Copenhagen that he directed was selected to be performed at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival regional festival in Omaha, Nebraska, in January 2008.

Dr. Michael Sokol Associate Professor of Theatre msokol@drury.edu (417) 873-6821 Mick Sokol holds a Ph.D. in Theatre History from the University of Georgia, an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University and a B.F.A. in Theatrical Design from the University of Florida. Dr. Sokol, a long-time member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), teaches Stagecraft and Scenic Design, Theatre History, Playwriting, and Alpha Seminar. Past Drury directing credits include The Dining Room. Last year he designed the scenery for Twelfth Night and the lighting for Ravenscroft. His passion for producing new scripts helped create the One-Act Play Competition and Short and Funny, two venues for the performance of unpublished plays here at Drury. Dr. Sokol operates Drury's study abroad program to Russia, traveling to St. Petersburg with Drury students again in the summer of 2010.

Dr. Ruth Monroe Emeritus Professor of Theatre rmonroe@drury.edu (417) 873-7289 A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Dr. Monroe specializes in history of theatre and directing. In addition to working with college and university theatre, she has directed for Northwestern Iowa Opera Company and has participated in workshops with Paul Sills and Arthur Lessac. She has observed work in acting and directing in professional theatre schools in Moscow and Warsaw. Dr. Monroe's research interests include theatre and drama in 17th century England and the American fascination with musical theatre. Last season she directed Ravenscroft.

Joyce Roberts Special Instructor - Dance & Choreography jroberts@drury.edu (417) 873-7315 Joyce Roberts first teachers were her parents, Brebner and Elois Walker, who operated Walker School of the Dance in Springfield. Ms. Roberts' professional career as a singer/dancer/actress includes work with Jerome Robbins in New York and Donn Arden in Las Vegas. She has performed in 21 Equity shows plus regional theatres, national tours, television and movies. She toured and performed with Betty Grable and was a soloist in many of the hotel productions in Las Vegas. Ms. Roberts was choreographic assistant to Donn Arden on "Lido de Paris" at the Stardust Hotel and "Pzazz" at the Desert Inn. She staged numbers for Elvis Presley's back-up singers, Sweet Inspirations, for Sergio Franchi's act at the Waldorf Astoria, and was choreographic assistant to Ron Field on "La Parisienne" at the Casino in Beirut, Lebanon. From 1990-1998, she staged and choreographed numbers for the The Baldknobbers Jamboree in Branson. At Drury, Ms. Roberts teaches dance classes and choreographs the Drury Jazz Dancers. She staged and choreographed 22 major dance concerts (Potpourri of Dance) and many of the musicals. Ms. Roberts received the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2003.

Polly Brandman Adjunct Faculty pbrandman@drury.edu Polly Brandman began dancing at age seven. Her early training was in classical ballet in Toledo, Ohio, where she danced with Toledo Ballet Company. She also studied jazz and modern dance and developed a profound interest in body mechanics and kinesiology. After completing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French and Classical Languages (University of Toledo, 1974) and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance with a Concentration in Choreography (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1976), she arrived in Springfield to become Artistic Director of Springfield Ballet in 1979. Under her direction, that organization became an honor member of the Mid-States Regional Ballet Association and her piece, "In The Eye Of The Storm," was selected for the National Choreography Plan. After leaving Springfield Ballet in 1985 Ms. Brandman taught ballet, modern dance, choreography, and improvisation for Missouri State University and performed as a Guest Artist with Mid-America Dance Company of St. Louis. With Tracy Maxfield and Beckah Voigt, she founded Wishbone Dance Theatre, a modern dance company that performed in Springfield and toured in the Midwest. She pursued martial arts (Black Belt, 2nd Dan in Youn Wha Ryu Tae Kwan Do) and T'ai Chi and has been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1990 and currently maintains a practice. She is on the faculty of Professional Massage Training Center, Ozark Dance Academy and Ozark Martial Arts.

George Cron

George Cron received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and Oral Interpretation from Southwest Missouri State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Georgia. While attending these schools his studies covered the concepts of Stanislavski, Chekhov and Meisner, as well as work in movement and kinetics as it applies to performance.

Mr. Cron is a professional actor who has also directed numerous productions in every theatre venue in Springfield, Missouri, most recently The Glass Menagerie, As You Like It, The Odd Couple, Tuesdays with Morrie, and The Complete History of America. He has performed and directed for stage regionally and for many years Off and Off-Off Broadway in NYC. He has been seen on national television, commercials and in films and has performed his own songs in country music venues in Nashville. He has appeared in films directed by Woody Allen, Sidney Lumet and Martin Scorsese.

In addition to having taught college courses in acting, directing, voice, and movement, Mr. Cron coaches acting privately and takes great pride in the accomplishments of his former students, many of whom are now working professionally in NYC, LA and Chicago. He maintains close contact with the artistic staff of Love Creek Productions in NYC and continues to be an emeritus member of the company.

Greg Marshall

Greg Marshall received his B.A. in Theatre from Drury College in 1998 and has been working with the department since 2002. He is responsible for guiding theatre students in the creation of the sets and implementation of lighting and other technical demands. Last year, in addition to serving as Technical Director for all productions, Greg directed The Elves and The Shoemaker.

Jan Blue

Jan Blue joined the department in 2006. Her love of theatre began in high school when she performed onstage as Helen, a young mute woman, in the classic thriller The Spiral Staircase. Her husband, Bill, portrays Old Matt and the Shepherd at the Shepherd of the Hills outdoor drama in Branson. Jan has four children: a daughter, Dawn Schipper, and stepchildren Brad Blue, Brianne (Blue) Bredenberg and Mike Bredenberg.

Beth grew up in Springfield, studying piano with Joyce Minasian for ten years. Her first experience accompanying was as an eleven-year-old when she regularly played the organ for services in a small Lutheran church. As a teenager she also substituted as organist at St. George's Church in Tunis, Tunisia, where her family lived for three years. Upon returning to the States she continued developing her accompanying skills throughout high school and college, accompanying theatrical productions, choirs, small instrumental ensembles, and soloists. She continues to accompany local university students.

Beth has been involved with music programs in area churches for the past 20 years. She worked as rehearsal accompanist for the Springfield Regional Opera during the 1989-90 season and accompanied the Homeschool Choir of Springfield from 2004-2008. She recently returned to work with the Springfield Regional Opera as a rehearsal and performance accompanist. Her husband, Martin Falukos, is a local chiropractor. Beth is a homeschooling mom of five and teaches piano in addition to accompanying The Broadway Cabaret.