Myah Gary, PhD 2023, Interdisciplinary Health Education and Playwriting
Freelance Playwright
Myah Gary is a playwright and health educator who specializes in writing plays that center on health and social issues. She was a Confluence Playwrights Fellow at St. Louis Shakespeare Festival in 2020 where her play Feminine Energy was commissioned. Feminine Energy went on to be produced by Mustard Seed Theatre in St. Louis. A Southern Illinois native, Myah spent the majority of her upbringing being trained as a classical vocalist. When she wasn’t making high honor roll, performing or going to church (she’s a pastor’s kid), she could be found writing. The years of penning essays in her bedroom paid off when as a high school freshman she placed as a semi-finalist in a national writing competition, putting her in the runnings for a $100,000 dollars. While she didn’t win the competition, she did develop an undying passion to write. This passion led her to major in creative writing. Of course being the overachiever she is, she also majored in Sociology. On a whim, she decided to try her hand at Health Education and fell in love. Her time spent immersed in education theory and program planning caused her to miss creative writing and thus she decided to take a playwriting class to fill that void. The rest is history in the making. Myah is excited to train as a playwright in the SIU Department of Theater and hopes to write many incredible plays (and a few musicals) during her time here.
Rosemary Pearl Moore, MFA 2023
High School Theatre Teacher
Once upon a time, there was a knight (playwright) named Pearl Moore. Pearl grew up in a very small town, Cana, with only her imagination to play with. Pearl was gifted with the talent of her mighty sword (her laptop), where she would weirdly write fanfictions of the Penguins of Madagascar and poorly written novels about dystopian worlds (showcasing her love of Katniss Everdeen). Before becoming part of the guild (an MFA in Playwriting at SIU Carbondale) Pearl was in a troupe (BFA in Acting and a minor in Creative Writing at Emory and Henry College). This guild and troupe led her to many distant realms. Pearl’s play, Pretty, was read at The Barter Theatre’s College Playwright Festival, and at The Rita Theatre at UW-Parkside’s FreshInk. Pearl’s play, Picket Fences, had a Zoom production at Emory & Henry College. Pearl has her upcoming play, A Shore of Abundance, being read at The Sauk’s Plays-In-Development 2022.
Lavinia Roberts, MFA 2022
Assistant Professor and Murphy Fellow at Hendrix College
Lavinia Roberts is an Assistant Professor and Murphy Fellow in Theatre Arts at Hendrix College. Her SIU thesis play, The Curious Case of Agatha Christie, won the Judith Barlow Prize. She is a published and award-winning playwright, puppet designer, and educator. She has over 50 plays published with Applause Books, Big Dog Plays, Brooklyn Publishers, Heuer Publishing, Plays: The Drama Magazine for Young People, Pioneer Drama, Smith and Kraus, and others. Her work has been performed in all 50 states and internationally in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Her work has been featured in New York City at The Barrow Group Theatre, The Center at West Park, C.O.W Theatre, Emerging Artist Theatre, HERE Arts Center, Galapagos Art Space, The Kraine Theatre, Metropolitan Playhouse, New York University, The Players Theatre, Roy Arias Studios, Theatre for the New City, The Wild Project, and other spaces. She has directed her work in New York City at The Sheen Center, The Bushwick Starr, Dixon Place, The Tank, The Brick, and The Secret Theatre. She has taught with various arts organizations in New York City including Arts Connection, Project Art, and others. Her educational resource book, A Little Drama; Playful Activities for Young Children is published with Redleaf Press. For more, see www.laviniaroberts.com
McCall Logan, MFA 2021
Research Assistant, University of Buffalo
McCall Logan is an Actor, Playwright, and Improvisor. Originally from London, Kentucky, they later attended Western Kentucky University where they received their B.A. in Theatre and Film studies. While at University and then later in Chicago, they grew tired of not seeing themselves in the characters that they auditioned for, and so they decided it was high time to change that. If you can’t see yourself in the characters being performed, then write your own! McCall is now dedicating their works to give minority groups, such as the queer community, more agency and dimension. They received their MFA in Playwriting at SIU in 2021 and is currently teaching theatre at Wilkes University.
Dustin Hageland, MFA 2021
High School Drama Assistant
Dustin was born in Boston and grew up in Seattle. After being active in his High School theatre program he received his BA in English - Creative Writing and a minor in Theatre after studying with both Western Washington University and the Tisch School of the Arts at their London campus. He interned at Parley, a Seattle Playwright’s group, working closely with the artistic director and helped to produce several premier staged workshops. He received his MFA in Playwriting from SIU in 2021 and his thesis play, Small Box with a Revolver, was produced in the 2021 St. Louis Fringe Festival.
A.B. Harrison, MFA 2020
High School Teacher
A.B. Harrison is a writer, director, fight choreographer, dramaturg, filmmaker, and life-long educator. His plays have been produced in Manhattan and Milwaukee, and he has directed and presented scholarship in Chicago. Combining music, dialogue, and spoken-word poetry, A.B.’s writings are driven to investigate the visceral nature of the human condition, domestic violence, and the Absurd in order to explore the subconscious. His thesis play, The Thread That Snapped, was set in a mental hospital and included a barbershop trio. Originally from Louisiana, A.B. received both an MA in Theatre with emphasis on Directing and Stage Combat and a BS in English Education from Louisiana Tech University. Since completing his Playwriting MFA from SIU, A.B. has returned to academia as a Talented Theatre instructor. As a dramatist, his research focuses on Violence Theory and its representation on stage, Superhero Ideology, and the Avante-Garde side of Performance Studies. Austin's plays include full-lengths THE THREAD THAT SNAPPED; FOUR; BY THE NECK; NEAR THE END, BASTARD HOME; and THE HOUSE SPECIAL.
Teresa McKinley, MFA 2020
Freelance Writer
Teresa McKinley has completed her first children's novel, Seek 'n Find. She has also written a play entitled Deception which was performed by a university student dramatic group (OOPS! Entertainment) in the Spring of 2003. She has also written and implemented a grant from the Illionis Arts Council which introduced elementary children to the craft of writing and she is the co-workshop creator of a children's poetry project entitled Treehouse Poetry Club for summer.
David Dudley, MFA 2018
Journalist St. George News and American Theatre
David's short plays have been performed in New York, Boston, California, Chicago, Arizona, and Vermont. Gorillas in the Sky, a full-length play, was a finalist at the WordBRIDGE Playwrights Lab, and a semi-finalist at the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. His play Funeral for a Salamander was also named semi-finalist at the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. As a journalist, his articles have appeared in American Theatre Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor,Contemporary Theatre Review (UK), Conjunto Theatre Journal (Cuba), and the Chronicle, in Vermont. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, David received a BFA in playwriting from DePaul University. He served as a script reader for Steppenwolf Theater, as well as apprenticeships with Bread & Puppet theater (Vermont), and The Wooster Group (NYC). David completed his MFA in Playwriting at SIU, Carbondale. He lives with his son, Ricky.
Rory Leahy, MFA 2017
Freelance Playwright in Chicago, IL
Rory Leahy is a proud alumnus of the MFA Playwriting program at SIU and was privileged to have the mentorship of Jacob Juntunen and the entire SIU Theater faculty. He wrote three full-length plays there: Response Scenario, Vampire Pirates of the North Sea: Being An Account of the Confrontation Between A Small Band of English and Irish Adventurers and an Army of the Undead in the Year of Our Lord 1605, and his MFA Thesis production, Torak the Inadequate. The first was staged by Exit Stage Left Productions in Columbus, OH in 2017, while the second was performed in a concert reading by the famed Playwrights Center in Minneapolis, MN. Rory has since returned to his native Chicago, and his first love, data processing.
J.J. Ceniceros, Communication Studies MA with Playwriting Emphasis 2016
Theater Technician at the Discovery Center in Frisco, Texas
J.J. Ceniceros is a performer, director, and playwright. J.J.'s first exposure to performance stemmed from his parents when they began a career in music promotions in the Texas Panhandle. In 2004, they opened the event center, the Azteca Music Hall, where J.J. aided in managing concerts and events featuring award-winning bands and artists including Creed, Steppenwolf, The Eli Young Band, Los Tigres del Norte, Pepe Aguilar, and many others.
J.J. received undergraduate degrees in Theatre Arts and Music from Texas A&M University. Currently, J.J. is pursuing Masters degrees in Communication Studies and Playwriting. Since arriving to SIUC, J.J. has participated in performances at the Kansas City Fringe Festival (2014), the Petit Jean performance festival in Arkansas (2012), the Patti Pace performance festival in New Orleans (2015), and the SSCA Regional Conference in Tampa (2015). In October 2014, J.J. also wrote, directed, and produced his first full-length play, 30 Days, in the Marion Kleinau Theatre. Follow J.J. on twitter (@JJCeniceros)!
J.J. received undergraduate degrees in Theatre Arts and Music from Texas A&M University. Currently, J.J. is pursuing Masters degrees in Communication Studies and Playwriting. Since arriving to SIUC, J.J. has participated in performances at the Kansas City Fringe Festival (2014), the Petit Jean performance festival in Arkansas (2012), the Patti Pace performance festival in New Orleans (2015), and the SSCA Regional Conference in Tampa (2015). In October 2014, J.J. also wrote, directed, and produced his first full-length play, 30 Days, in the Marion Kleinau Theatre. Follow J.J. on twitter (@JJCeniceros)!
Kirsten Easton, Playwriting MFA 2016
University Advancement, Colorado State University
Kirsten Easton was born and bred in the suburbs of sunny Southern California. Though she now makes her home in Colorado, she’s a California girl at heart and finds any excuse to wear a good sandal. She holds a B.A. in both Theater and Sociology from Occidental College and an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University. Her work experiments with theatrical forms and styles and explores themes of gender, identity, and the body. Her plays have been performed in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Houston (among others). Kirsten currently works at Colorado State University in the division of University Advancement, where she helps support the success of the university’s fundraising mission. When she’s not writing plays, Kirsten enjoys the challenge of keeping her succulents alive and befriending introverts To find out more about her plays, check out her website at http://kirsteneaston.wix.com/playwright or follow her on Twitter @easton_kirsten.
Jaclyn Grogan, Playwriting MFA 2015
Instructor at Vincennes University
Jaclyn Grogan is a playwright whose dark comedies, dream plays, and farcical shorts explore the absurdist themes by which she lives, including the ultimate struggle for control in an illogical universe in which no control is to be had. Ever. Jaclyn received her undergraduate degree in English and Theatre Studies from Wellesley College in 2009. In 2015 she received her MFA in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University. During here time there, she single-handedly kept the Carbondale Chili’s afloat. Her plays have been read, staged, and produced in cities such as NYC, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Houston, among others. Jaclyn currently teaches theatre for Vincennes University. Find and follow Jaclyn on Twitter (@PhlapJac)!