Guest Artists & Scholars

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.

Guest Artists & Scholars

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