We regularly invite professional artists and scholars to speak with students and teach master classes. Guests share insights about their creative work and research, provide guidance on current industry practices, and connect students with professional opportunities.
Past guests have included actor Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), playwright Christopher Chen (Caught), and dance company Urban Bush Women.
In the 2023–2024 academic year, we welcomed more than 35 guests. (See below for a full list.) Many of these visits were supported by the Shelly Osborne Guest Artist Fund. We are grateful for this ongoing support that enables us to introduce students to a wide variety of professionals in performing arts and performance studies.
2023–2024 Guests
Guest Artists
Cat Brooks
Director/Performer, 'Tasha
Karina Gutiérrez
Director, The River Bride
Blossom Johnson
Playwright, Indigenous Performing Artist in Residence
Jeunée Simon
Intimacy Choreographer
Leyya Mona Tawil
Artist, Curator & Cultural Activist
Urban Bush Women
Brooklyn-Based Performance Ensemble
Wei Hai-Min
Chinese Opera Performer
Robert Yu
Choreographer & Dancer
Ruth Zaporah
Action Theater Educator
Guest Speakers
Glynn Bartlett
Puppet Maker & Scenic Artist
W. Kamau Bell
Emmy Award-Winning Comedian, Director, and Producer
Geo Britto Lopes
Founder, Escola de Teatro Popular (ETP)
KB Brookins
Writer & Cultural Worker
Alexa Burrell
Multimedia Artist
Wilson Chin
Award-Winning Scenic Designer
Pangaea Colter
Actor & Singer
David Coulter
Musician, Composer & Director
Chibueze Crouch & Snowflake Arizmendi-Calvert
Curators, Queering Dance Festival
Daveed Diggs
Tony Award-Winning Actor (Hamilton) & Musician
Jerrilyn Lanier Duckworth
Costume, Hair & Makeup Designer
Colette Eloi
Director of EL WAH Movement
Steven Flores
Actor & Puppet Maker
Jack Gray
New Zealand-Based Choreographer
Natalie Greene
Director of Education & Community Programs, American Conservatory Theater
José Guerra
Muralist & Bodyworker
Cherelle Guyton
Hair, Wig & Makeup Designer
Idara Ikpe
Fashion Designer
Babatunji Johnson
Dancer & Choreographer
erin Khuê Ninh
Professor, Asian American Studies, UC Santa Barbara
OYSTERKNIFE
Performance Duo
Steven Schmidt
Technical Director, California Shakespeare Theater
Michelle Talgarow
Performer, Director & Educator
Wolfgang Lancelot Wachalovsky
Lighting & Video Designer
Bela Watson
Eco-Somatics Practitioner & Dance Teacher
Kim Ye
Interdisciplinary Artist