The following individuals
serve a vital, voluntary role providing input
to our artistic, managerial, developmental,
and other support processes. Without them,
FUSION Theatre would not be the professional
organization it is today. |
Cecil O'Neal
Chair, Division of Theatre
Professor of Theatre
Southern Methodist University
Prior to coming to SMU, Professor O'Neal spent
20 years as a professional actor, director, and
producer in the United States and Canada. At SMU,
he teaches acting in both the B.F.A. and M.F.A.
programs, directs division productions and serves
as head of recruiting for the Division of Theatre.
He also created and teaches Business and Professional
Aspects, a course open to senior and 3rd-year graduate
acting students dealing with the "business
aspects" of the acting profession.
As a teacher and academic administrator, Professor
O'Neal has headed one of the leading M.F.A. professional
actor training programs in the country. Many of
his former students are working steadily in film,
episodic television, on the New York stage, in major
regional theatres from coast to coast and are teaching
in highly respected university theatre departments.
He has close ties to a number of leading theatre
training institutions throughout the English-speaking
world. His international teaching experience includes
guest teaching at The National Theatre School of
Canada and The Royal National Theatre Studio in
London.
As a producer and director, he has worked in every
sector of not-for-profit theatre, from small,
highly
respected "fringe" companies to the second
largest not-for-profit theatre in North America.
He was a founding member of Chicago's Organic Theatre
and founding producer of Victory Gardens Theatre,
also in Chicago. He served as associate director
of Tarragon Theatre in Toronto and as producer
of
the Stratford Festival of Canada and the Shakespearian
festival in Stratford, Ontario.
As producer of the Stratford Festival of Canada,
he was responsible for an $8 million annual production
budget, worked closely with the artistic director
in developing the season, contracted all artistic
and production personnel, and coordinated all casting
(120-150 actors per season). He produced as many
as thirteen shows per season plus a Monday night
music series featuring major international artists,
and a celebrity lecture series featuring a very
diverse range of luminaries. He also had oversight
responsibilities for all festival training programs.
During his tenure, a number of the festival's stage
productions were translated to film for national
broadcast on CBC television. Some of these productions
still air occasionally on cable networks such as
A&E.
As a director, Professor O'Neal has worked with
material from Shakespeare to world premieres of
contemporary work. In all three cities where he
has been most active as a director˜Chicago,
Toronto, and Dallas˜he has either won or been
nominated for major professional awards for outstanding
direction.
Professor O'Neal currently serves
as artistic director of Sage Theatre Group, which
he co-founded. He also serves on the artistic advisory
board of the Kitchen Dog Theater and served two
terms as a member of the City of Dallas Cultural
Affairs Commission
Pamela Michaelis
Principal
Wingspread Collector's Guide
Pamela Michaelis is currently the co-owner and
editor of the Wingspread Collector's Guide, an annual
publication which focuses on the visual arts of
northern New Mexico. She is host and producer of
Gallery News, a 6-times weekly radio program about
current events in the visual arts (broadcast on
Classical KHFM). Non-profit Board and volunteer
affiliations include the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra,
Sandia Prep School, Working Classroom, the Arts
Alliance. Past history includes a few years on the
Development staff of the The Guthrie Theater in
Minneapolis and the Director of Development for
Minnesota Public Radio.
Don Michaelis
Principal
Wingspread Collector's Guide
Don Michaelis is a 1969 graduate from the Yale
School of Drama with an MFA in Theater Administration.
His first job after Yale was a four-year stint as
manager of the Utah Repertory Dance Theatre in Salt
Lake City. From there he moved to The Guthrie Theater
where he was Audience Development Director and then
Administrative Director (1974-1980). Then a career
change to publishing, first in the Twin Cities (1980-1985)
and then creating Wingspread Guides of New Mexico
and The Collector's Guide to Santa Fe, Taos and
Albuquerque (1985 to present). He has been active
in Downtown Albuquerque revitalization efforts and
has served on numerous non-profit boards and committees.
Edward Strang
Head, Scenic Art Department
Warner Bros. Studios
Edward Strang is a celebrated scenic artist and
designer. With a career spanning over thirty years,
Ed‚s scenic work may be seen in over 400 feature
films and has been utilized in countless television
and commercial situations. As head of the Scenic
Art Department for Warner Bros Studios, Ed is responsible
for all scenic design and manages a talented group
of artists. Permanent installations of Ed‚s
work appear in domestic and international movie
theatres (including the Mann Chinese Theater), various
casinos (including the MGM, Mirage and Venetian
in Las Vegas), theme parks (including Disney and
Six Flags locations), private residences and various
landmarks (including Hollywood Park and the Charlotte
Bobcats arena). Ed works closely with the J. Paul
Getty Museum in Los Angeles on a variety of projects.
His numerous credits for music tours include artists
as varied as the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Merle
Haggard, Bette Midler, and the Beach Boys. Ed has
provided scenic backdrops for stage productions
in Los Angeles and on Broadway. Several years ago,
to supplement the hand-painted mural and scenic
work, Ed expanded his Warner Bros shop to include
large-scale digital printing, serving an increasingly
broad client spectrum. Ed also provides design and
construction expertise for trade show and exhibition
tours, as well as architectural design for restaurants
and nightclubs. His elaborate party designs, for
film premieres and private parties, are legendary.
Lynne Brown Strang
Entrepreneur
Lynne Brown Strang started her professional career
as a CPA with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.
in Boston. She then went on to earn an MBA from
Harvard Business School. A native New Englander,
Lynne made the big move out west and relocated to
Los Angeles. She worked with a group of entrepreneurs,
managing a variety of companies, including JRC Oil,
a drilling operation located in Colorado. She developed
and executed the public offering for Desert Arabian
Bloodstock, a breeding operation for Egyptian Arabian
horses. Lynne then joined Warner Bros. Studios,
and rapidly worked her way to the position of CFO,
responsible for all financial and administrative
operations for the studio production facility in
Burbank. She moved to the Walt Disney Company, as
head of finance for the domestic and international
film and television groups. Lynne developed numerous
business opportunities for Disney, including the
establishment of their record label, Hollywood Records.
Having seen the best and worst of big business,
Lynne left Disney to focus on small business development.
Working with several venture capital firms, Lynne
specializes in restructuring business operations.
She guided Corsair Communications, a telecommunications
company, through their public offering and subsequent
purchase by Lighthouse Inc. Lynne also pursues various
personal entrepreneurial interests, and works with
individuals to develop new start-up opportunities.
Lynne established and continues to serve as a Board
Member for several 501(c)3 organizations, including
Burbank Priority In Education foundation and The
Rainbow Place, a preschool providing specialized
Suzuki violin training. Over the years, Lynne has
honed her fundraising skills through grant writing
and direct appeal for numerous organizations including
Harvard University and the Los Angeles Zoo, and
continues her commitment to bring funding for arts,
music and improved literacy to the local public
schools.
Bob Nuchow
Program Director
Screen Actors Guild Foundation
"My father worked with Dr. King and was in
Memphis with the sanitation workers at the time
of his death. I was nine years old when my father
took me on the freedom train from New York to Washington,
D.C. to hear Dr. King deliver "I Have A Dream"
amidst a sea of humanity rich in the spirit of hope,
mutual respect, and unity. So much of that is needed
today and needed especially within the industry."
Bob followed in his father's path with over 30
years writing, graphic arts, coordinating, business,
producing experience from high school in 1969; U.S.
Army1972-1975; labor, community, campus, international
activist, graphic artist, editor 1976-1985 (Teamsters,
NYCCC, Center for Media Arts, Hunter College, China,
Moscow, Tupelo, MS); media education in New York
public schools
1985-1988; political activism (RAINBOW/P.U.S.H.
Coalition) 1988-1995; restaurateur 1996-1998; Screen
Actors Guild 1999-2001; SAG Foundation 2001-present.
Bob created the Screen Actors Guild Foundation's
national speaker series Conversations in 2001. Conversations
is a program of SAG Foundation's ActorSpeak- The
Language of Entertainment. It was designed for high
profile actors, producers, directors, and writers
to share their experience and knowledge of acting
and the entertainment industry with actors, drama
& film students on how to sustain their passion
for the craft, the value of training and self-sufficiency.
Conversations is formatted as an intimate 2-hour
Q&A in-house program held with SAG members and
the greater entertainment community. Bob has produced
over 400 Conversations in 20 cities with more than
90,000 participating since November 2001 for SAG
Foundation.Bob is also venturing into managing talent
and filmmaking by producing several feature scripts
of screenplay writer Samir Vural (including a character
driven mother/son drama "Eavesdropping"
in New York late 2006), as well as producing an
original scripted play of performance artist, dancer,
actress Marisa Vural. Samir and Marisa are Bob's
nephew and niece.
Nana Visitor
Actor
("Wildfire," "Deep Space Nine,"
and many others)
Nana Tucker was born July 26, 1957, to Broadway
choreographer Robert Tucker and ballet instructor
Nenette Charisse. Famed dancer Cyd Charisse married
Nenette's brother. Raised in New York's theater
district, surrounded by dancers, Nana began dance
lessons at her mother's studio at age 7.
Nana's first major stage role came in late 1980
when she played Stella Goodman in "The Gentle
People." Next she took on the title role in
"Gypsy," co-starring with Angela Lansbury.
Following that production she landed a double role
in "My One and Only," starring 60's icon
Twiggy. Nana's comedic flair won her a role in the
stage production of "Ladies' Room," a
woman's answer to locker room humor. This play,
co-starring Lisa Kudrow, spawned the feature film
"Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion."
Other stage roles followed, but Nana's destiny was
in television. A successful career as a guest star
continued throughout the 1980's on shows such as
"One Life to Live," "MacGyver,"
"Remington Steele," "Night Court,"
"thirysomething," "Jake and the Fatman,"
"L.A. Law," "Baby Talk," "Empty
Nest," "Matlock" and "Murder
She Wrote." In 1990 Nana starred in the series
"Working Girl," based upon the feature
film of the same name. A few years later Nana auditioned
for and won the role of Major Kira Nerys in "Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine." After the conclusion
of that seven-year role, Nana returned to the stage
in the role of Roxie in the Broadway production
of "Chicago" and guest starred as Madam
X on the series "Dark Angel." Currently,
Nana is starring as Jean Ritter in the third season
of the ABC Family series "Wildfire." Nana
is now a resident of Corrales, New Mexico.
