Theatre and Speech

I was born in Massachusetts but grew up in Ankara, Turkey. I’ve had a lifelong interest in theatre, beginning stage performances by the age of eight. While an undergraduate, I directed the world premiere of the famous rock opera Tommy, by the British band, The Who. This performance toured New England colleges for several years. I had a young professional company in Boston, producing original works. I have had a long-time association with acclaimed modern dancer Ina Hahn, with whom I created many collaborative dance/theatre pieces at her well-known coastal production facility. I have performed and directed both nationally and internationally. Currently, I’m spending my summers acting with the Michigan Shakespeare Festival.

Elizabethan theatre, German Expressionism, acting theories and styles, playwriting, sound and light technology.

I love to teach everything I teach, but if I have to pick an absolute favorite, it would have to be Acting III.

I don’t have a favorite. All our students are successful to some degree, though it may not be in the way they thought while they were undergraduates! I keep track of most of our majors after they graduate, and they tend to be happy, self-sufficient and creative. What more could you ask for?

It forces students to expand their worldviews to encompass ideas with which they might not be either familiar or comfortable. It challenges students while also nurturing them.

Don’t specialize in anything right away. Explore. Take classes in areas you know nothing about. Take classes you are afraid of.

Their dedication to excellence.

gangell@hillsdale.edu