Teaching Faculty/Resident Company
Claudia Billings
College Assistant Professor
clabilli@nmsu.edu
Office: Regents Row #119; 646-5301
Claudia holds a B.S. in Theatre and Dance from the University of Wyoming and an M.A. in English Literature from NMSU. She currently teaches Introduction to Theatre and Acting. She also serves as the coordinator for all theatre general education classes and acts and directs for NMSU/ASTC.
Jim Billings
Resident Scenic and Lighting Designer
jbilling@nmsu.edu
Office: Scene Shop; 646-5041
Originally from Casper, Wyoming, Jim received his BS from the University of Wyoming in 1979, and an MFA in Scenic design from the California Institute of the Arts in 1984. He has worked as a freelance designer around the country, and came to NMSU as a guest artist in 1986. Design credits include design for dance, theatre, opera, industrials and museums. Courses taught include Scenic Design, Lighting Design, Scene Painting, Model Making and Computer Scenographics. Jim is the 2002 recipient of the Ralph B. Crouch Memorial Award and the 2006 recipient of the Community Arts Award from the Dona Ana Arts Council. Jim's Homepage
Deborah Brunson
Resident Costume Designer
dbrunson@nmsu.edu
Office: Costume Shop and Regents Row #127; 646-7354
Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Deborah received a BFA in Costume Design from The University of Alabama in 1977, and an MFA in Costume Design from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980. She has been Resident Costume Designer at NMSU/ASTC since 1988. She also works professionally when time permits.
Ruth Cantrell
Professor
rucantre@nmsu.edu
Office: Regents Row #125; 646-5812
Ruth received her BA ('74) and MFA ('78) from Trinity University. Ruth is Department Head of NMSU Theatre Arts and Managing Director of ASTC. She has been the director of the Theatre for Young Audiences and the Children's Theatre Workshop since 1985. Ruth was awarded the American Alliance for Theatre and Education's (AATE) Special Recognition Award in 1991. Her play, The Stonecutter, received Best Children's Play from the Southwest Theatre Association in 1998. She is a recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts for 2002. She is also an accomplished actress and is a member of Actor's Equity Association.
Jim Jaworski
Scene Shop Foreman
Office: Scene Shop; 646-5040
Jim comes to us from Buffalo, NY via a brief stint with the "republicans." Jim is a regionally- recognized artist and bowl maker and spends his "free time" making bowls and finding lumber. Jim is well-known for his amazing collection of great shirts.
Dr. Grace Godwin
Assistant Professor
Office: Jacobs #200A; 646-5766
Laura Grace Godwin joined the NMSU faculty in 2005. Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Godwin holds a B.S. in Theatre from Ball State University and a Postgraduate Diploma from the University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. While earning her doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she was active as a stage manager, dramaturg, and director. She has taught in the Theatre and the English departments at UIUC, has served on the faculty at Parkland College, and currently teaches courses in London as part of Midwestern State University's British Studies Program. Dr. Godwin's work has been published in Shakespeare Bulletin, Cahiers Élisabéthains, Theatre Journal, and the American Review of Books. She has also presented papers at conferences held by the Shakespeare Association of America, the Marlowe Society of America, and the Modern Language Association. Her current research explores Shakespeare and his contemporaries in twentieth-century performance.
David Hereford
Technical Director
dherefor@nmsu.edu
Office: Scene Shop; 646-5040
David received his BFA in Theatre from the University of New Mexico in 1978. He spent five summers at the Santa Fe Opera, and a summer in the props show at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. He spent time as the Props Master at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, and as a scenic carpenter at the Denver Center Theatre Company. He received a BS in Forestry from the University of Montana in 1986, but by 1990 was back in theatre at New Mexico State University. In July of '91 he was officially hired as Technical Director.
Ginger Stull
Theatre Coordinator/Costume Shop Manager
gstull@nmsu.edu
Office: Costume Shop; 646-4846
Ginger received her M.A. in Art Education from the University of New Mexico. She has worked for a variety of companies including The Santa Fe Opera, Albuquerque’s Dance Espania, and on the Sci-Fi Channel’s The Lost Room. Most recently she designed costumes for The National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Carnaval and worked with the art department on the Lionsgate film game. She teaches Stage Makeup and Costume Practicum.
Tim Pinnow
Professor
tpinnow@nmsu.edu
Office: Regents Row #117; 646-5120
Tim received a B.A. in Psychology and Musical Theatre from Luther College. He also has an M.F.A. in Theatre Performance from The University of Florida and taught at St. Olaf College in Minnesota prior to coming to NMSU. In addition to being an Equity actor, Tim directs professionally and is a nationally-known Fight Director and Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors. His work has been seen at The Hippodrome State Theatre of Florida, Shakespeare in Santa Fe, Shakespeare on the Rocks, The Old Creamery Theatre Company, and Creede Repertory Theatre. He teaches Voice and Movement, Period Styles, Stage Combat, Acting Shakespeare and other assorted acting classes.
Tom Smith
Department Head and Associate Professor
tomsmith@nmsu.edu
Office: Milton Hall, #118; 646-5479
Originally from Redmond, Washington, Tom received his BA from Whitman College in 1991, and an MFA in Directing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1994. He has worked as a freelance director around the country, and came to NMSU in 1999. He is also the author of numerous published plays, recipient of national and international playwriting awards, and is a proud member of Dramatist's Guild. Tom teaches directing, playwriting, acting and improvisation. Tom's Homepage
Dr. William Storm
Associate Professor
wstorm@nmsu.edu
Office: Jacobs Hall #203; 646-3180
Before joining the NMSU faculty in 2002, Dr. Storm taught in the Theatre and English departments at the University of California- Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and the University of Southern California. His doctorate, from UCSB, is in dramatic literature and theory and he holds an MFA in playwriting from USC. He is the author of After Dionysus: A Theory of the Tragic (Cornell UP) as well as a number of scholarly articles, essays, and plays. He worked in the professional theatre in Los Angeles for many years, including eight years at the Mark Taper Forum where he was literary manager and served as dramaturg. Areas of scholarly specialization include dramatic theory, genre studies, dramaturgy, and the history and theory of the tragic form and sensibility.
Michael Wise
Production Stage Manager
mwise@nmsu.edu
Office: Main Office; 646-5418
Michael has been a professional stage director, actor, designer, university instructor, sound designer, theatre photographer and Equity stage manager for over 20 years. His directing credits include stage productions for the The Players Guild, The American Southwest Theatre, Dona Ana Lyric Opera, No Strings Theatre Company, Las Cruces Community Theatre, Seattle Group Theatre, New City Theatre, and the Ensemble Theatre Project. As a stage manager, Michael has worked with such companies as The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Empty Space, A Contemporary Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Bath House Theatre, The Seattle Children's Theatre and The American Southwest Theatre. He has designed sound for over two dozen productions and is the resident photographer for the American Southwest Theatre Company.
Administrative Support Personnel
LaDawn Morgan
Departmental Secretary
ladawn59@nmsu.edu
Office: Main Office; 646-4517
Damon Turner
Accounting Technician
dturner@nmsu.edu
Office: Main Office; 646-4518
