My Curriculum Vitae
SUSAN FORBES
Office: Theatre 617 Main St. Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 8537-7700 ext. 314
(716) 853-7713/fax
Email - Susan.Forbes@esc.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Education
1985: M.F.A. Ohio University, Magna Cum Laude
1981: B.F.A Kent State University – Cum Laude
Masters Thesis
“Seeking the Power”: An Approach to playing Regan in Shakespeare’s King LearEmployment
January, 2005 – present. Assistant Professor of the Arts, Empire State College
Empire State College is a State University of New York/SUNY institution which is accredited, respected and known as an innovator and leader. Empire State College was a key contributor in establishing the SUNY Learning Network and has one of the largest enrollments in this program. The SUNY Learning Network is the online learning arm of the State University of New York that includes SUNY’s 64 campuses offering 2,500 courses in 55 degree programs to more than 40,000 students. Empire State College provides a personal approach to education. Students gain knowledge through distance learning, faculty mentoring in small groups or individualized study. As one of the first public, nontraditional institutions to receive regional accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, since 1971 we have enabled more than 44,000 students to earn a degree.
I am in the beginning stages of developing programs and learning opportunities in the visual and performing arts and hope to reach a number of adults who are in the arts and may want to complete an undergraduate education. My teaching in a very small institution has provided me with lots of experience in individualized instruction and degree planning. These ideals are the heart and soul of Empire State College.
Studies offered: Arts Management, Introduction to Theatre, Minority Women Playwrights, Global Art History, Art Therapy, Creativity in the Workplace, Theatre Appreciation, Photography, Graphic Design, Graduate studies in Arts and Education
In development: Performance Techniques, Voice and Articulation, Audition Techniques
September, 2005 to Present . Adjunct Instructor, Buffalo State College
Theatrical Director/ and Production Course Instructor for Reckless by Craig Lucas. Produced in the flexible theatre in the round. October, 11-16 2005.
1988 - 1991, 1993 to 2004: Associate Professor of Theatre- tenured in 1996- National Endowment of Humanities Preceptor in Women’s Studies, Wells College - Aurora, New York 13026
Wells College was a small liberal arts college for women during my tenure there. The curriculum focuses on interdisciplinary programs. The Performing Arts major has concentration tracks in music or in theatre and dance. Course work is often delivered using team teaching with a major emphasis on experiential "hands on"learning. Individualized instruction and personal attention is accomplished through small group learning environments. All majors take course work in each of the areas of music, dance and theatre. The thesis project (required of all Wells students) is completed in the senior year, and represents the culmination of the specific areas of interest the student has pursued within the program. Theatre and Dance concentrators normally produce a performance project with additional writing, research, and dramaturgy related to the production. The student serves as the artistic director and producer of the project with an additional focus as actor, dancer, director or choreographer, and under special circumstances, as playwright. The program provides training in performance and production techniques, history, performance theory, literature and management. Students are prepared to pursue graduate work, or to continue the practical application of theatre and dance through career pursuits.
Teaching Experience
Undergraduate Courses Taught:
Independent Study & Special Topics Courses:
Academic Directing
Tartuffe,Shakespeare’s Women Fall 1988 Quilters, Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi Spring 1989
Getting Out Fall 1989 The Club Spring 1990
The School for Scandal Fall 1990 A.. My Name is Alice Spring 1991
Crimes of the Heart Fall 1993
A Midsummer Night's Dream Fall 1994
Top Girls Fall 1995 Nunsense Spring 1996
- Sabbatical Leave
Acts of Menace Fall 1999
included: The Dumbwaiter, The Lodger, No Exit
Laughter and Lampoons Fall 2000 Special Leave to work at Trinity Rep RI Spring 2001
included: 15 Minute Hamlet, Teeth, Chamber Music
The Schemings of Scapin - Fall 2002
(awarded excellence in Directing from the Theatre Association of New York)
Academic Production Service
*indicates original works
Faculty Advisor for Senior Thesis
Taps, The Moon is Free to Dance*, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Love Talker, Shekinah *, Consequences of Reign*, La Morsa (performed in Italian), Cowboy Mouth, Carnival Girls*, Ima *, Durang Durang
Faculty Consultant for Student Drama Club Productions
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Uncommon Women and Others, Blizzard*, Steel Magnolias,
I Stand Before You Naked, The Children’s Hour, For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf
Producer
Guest Artist Events: Carolyn Gage in The Second Coming of Joan of Arc, March 1989
Holly Hughes in Clit Notes, April 1993
Peggy Shaw in Your Just Like My Father, February 1994
Karen Eterovich in Aphra Behn and her Pen, March 1998
Wells College Women’s Studies “V-day” - Vagina Monologues, February 1999
Ann Randolph in Squeeze Box, October 2004
Advising
Institutional Committee Service
Search Committees:
Administrative and Department Responsibilities
Other Academic Employment
Fall 1985, Spring 1987: Instructor/Guest Artist, Cuyahoga Community College, Parma, Ohio
Courses: Rehearsal and Performance, Beginning Acting
Directing: Crimes of the Heart, It's Got Heart
Spring 1992: Technical Director, Cuyahoga Community College, Parma, Ohio
Responsible for theatrical design and implementation for department productions. Serve as liaison to outside users of theatrical performance space and to provide technical staff and support. Train and supervise work-study students as technical assistants in related areas of production. Manage scheduling of theatre and adjacent classrooms/laboratories. Schedule student staffing and assign production related positions. Provide maintenance and repair to theatrical equipment. Purchase and stock appropriate production materials for department. Manage all purchasing and production budgets for department.
1982 – 1985: Graduate Assistant (Teaching Fellowship), School of Theatre, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
Courses: Acting for Non Majors, Voice and Speech for Radio/TV Majors
Non Academic Teaching
The Auburn Players, Instructor (6 week course)
Auburn, NY - Summer 2003
Course: Improvisational Acting for Adults
Wells College Conferences – Program Director and Instructor for ARTSCAMP
Aurora, NY - Summer 1998, 1999, 2000
One week intensive resident performing arts camp for junior high girls
Seneca Players – (6 week courses) - Instructor/Artistic Director,
Children’s Theatre Workshops, Seneca Falls, NY, Summer 1997 and 1998
Courses: Improvisation, Acting for the Musical Theatre
Wells College Leadership Institute - Instructor/Presenter
Aurora, NY
As needed 1993-1999
Team-taught Course: Creativity in the Workplace – a course for adults
Northwest Children's Theatre - Instructor
Portland, OR
Summer: Three week sessions 1993, 1994
Courses: Creative Dramatics, Makeup, Stage Management
Board of Cooperative Educational Services - (B.O.C.E.S.) - Instructor
Auburn, New York
January of 1987 - 1991
Courses: Creative Dramatics, Improvisation, (Gifted and Talented 5th and 6th Grade Program,)
Cayuga County Arts Council - Instructor
Auburn, New York
Fall 1988
Courses: Creative Dramatics, Mask Making for K- 6
Kent State University - High School Workshop Instructor
(sponsored by Alpha Psi Omega - theatre fraternity )
Kent, Ohio, 1979 – 1981
Courses: Acting, Directing, Mime, Stage Management
Awards
Festival Participant State Finalist for As You Like It (Short Production) (Adaptation by Susan Forbes)
– Produced by Auburn Players – Auburn, NY
Outstanding Ensemble- to Cast, Crew and Director
• THEATRE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE -2002
Roving Adjudicators Merit Awards for The Schemings of Scapin –
Outstanding Direction - Susan Forbes
Outstanding Ensemble –Cast, Crew and Director
Outstanding Lights and Sets - Joe Deforest
Outstanding Costumes - Judy Johnson
Outstanding Musical Support of Dramatic Tension - Victor Penniman
• Faculty Development Leave, Wells College, Fall 1997
• THEATRE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE -1996 Festival AWARD -
Festival Participant State Finalist for Top Girls (long production)
Outstanding Ensemble - to director, cast and crew of Top Girls
Outstanding Music Composition - Steve Murphy for Top Girls
• Nomination for Excellence in Teaching Award, Wells College – Spring, 1995
• THEATRE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE - 1993
Roving Adjudicators Merit Awards for A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Outstanding Lighting Design - Robert DiGiacinto
- Outstanding Scenic Design - Joe Deforest
• Editorial Advisory Board - The Theatre: Its Art and Craft - Collegiate Press, 1994, 2000.
• ACTF - Honorable Mention, Student Director (Advisee), Taps , Wells College, Spring, 1990.
• Who’s Who in American College and Universities – 1991, 2002
• National Dean’s List – 1979 -81
Lectures/Workshops/Conferences
Wells College, Lecturer, (April 2002- Faculty Club):"Stage Managers, the Unsung Heroes: as proven through the production process of the new England Premiere of the adaptation of Irving’s The Cider House Rules "
Wells College, Guest Lecturer, (March 2002, ARTS 310 Women and the Arts): "Re-Claiming Commedia: an Avenue for Contemporary Social Change and Feminist Expression"
Cayuga Community College, Presenter, (February, 1999- Women in Theatre Regional Conference): “Space: an Element of Production Unity in Pinter’s Dumb Waiter, Schenkar’s The Lodger and Sartre’s No Exit "
American Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Panel Participant of Lesbian and Gay Theatre Focus Group, (August 1999): “Issues of Cross Dressing in Musical Theatre”
Wells College, Workshop Presenter, (Fall Terms 1996 – 1999, 2001, Wells Freshman Core): “Creativity in the Liberal Arts Curriculum”
Wells College, Guest Lecturer, (Spring 1997-GRMN 385, Modern German Theatre): “Brecht’s Epic Theatre”
Wells College, Guest Lecturer, (Fall 1994, 1996, 1998 –TD327, Performance Workshop): “Linklater Techniques as Training for the Performer”
Wells College, Guest Lecturer, (March 1995, Faculty Club): “Gertrude Stein: A Woman Worth Portraying”
AAUW, Ithaca, NY, Workshop Leader and Performer, (January 1995, Regional Conference):
"Creative Leadership/Creative Life"
AAUW, Long Island, NY, Workshop Leader and Performer (AAUW State Conference):
"Creative Leadership/Creative Life"
National Women’s Studies Association, Plattsburgh, NY, Panel Presenter and Collaborative Performer, (April 1995, State Conference):"Broken- UN/ Terrain"
Wells College, Guest Lecturer, (Spring 1994, ARTS 311, The Avant-Garde: "Feminist Performance Art: a discourse in the Avant-Garde
Wells College, Guest Presenter/Facilitator, (Spring 1994, Women’s Studies Lunchtime Series): "Feminist Form and Function: an Analysis of Radical Feminist Plays”
Wells College, Lecturer, (Fall 1993, Women’s Studies Lunchtime Series): "The Elements of Abuse in Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart"
Wells College, Lecturer, (Fall 1990 - Faculty Club): "The Creative Process of Mounting Wells’ Production of Sheridan’s The School for Scandal“
Wells College, Lecturer, (Spring 1990, Women’s Studies Women’s History Month Celebration): "Quilting: an Iconographic Documentation of the Lives of Women in American History, as Dramatized in Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek’s Quilters”
Wells College, Lecturer, (Fall 1989 - Women’s Studies Lunchtime Series): “The Psychological Turmoil of Arlie in Marsha Norman’s Getting Out "
Cuyahoga Community College, Panel Presenter, (Fall 1985, Colloquium on American Drama):
"The Elements of Black Comedy as seen in Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart"
Wells College, Conference Coordinator, (March 1998, 2nd Annual Women’s Studies Colloquium): “Women and the Performing Arts“
Wells College, Presenter, (March 1998, 2nd Annual women’s Studies Colloquium): “Solo Performance: a Vehicle for Feminist Discourse and Social Activism”
• 2nd INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S PLAYWRITING CONFERENCE – University of Toronto, 1990
• FIRST INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S PLAYWRITING CONFERENCE - UB, Amherst, NY, 1987
• ACTF - Regional Festivals - 1988 to present
• ATHE – Attendance at conferences - 1991 to present
Attendance at Pre-conferences of:
Gay and Lesbian Focus Group (Planning Committee - 1997)
Women in Theatre Program
• TANYS - State Festivals - 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004
Affiliations/Organizations
A.E.A - Actors' Equity Association (professional actors union- since 1979)
A.A.U.W - American Association of University Women
A.T.H.E - Association of Theatre in Higher Education
W.T.P. - Women in Theatre Program – (focus group of ATHE)
A.C.T.F. - American College Theatre Festival
S.M.A. - Stage Management Association (since 1998)
T.A.N.Y.S - Theatre Association of New York State (since 1988)
I.A.T.S.E - International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
Locals #48, #66, #28 - Journeyman/Casual
Professional Arts Related Community Services
· ACTF – Alternate Roving Adjudicator /Respondent -Region II – 2000-2003
· Morgan Opera House - Programming Board Committee - 1991, 1993 - 94, 1996 -'98
· Cayuga Count Arts Council - Member, 2002 - present
Special Training
Linklater - John Hadden - Founding Actor - Shakespeare and Co.
Acting in Shakespeare - John Hadden, Susan Dibble - Shakespeare and Co.
Lessac and Berry - Laura Parotti
Feldenkrais - Nancy MacAllister
Stage Combat - Drew Fracher
Professional Employment
Employment history covers 27 years of stage management, directing, acting, producing, management, as well as technical and production work in the professional theatre and arts related organizations.
Directing/Stage Management (Representative Work)
Director- Reckless - Buffalo State College - Fall 2005
Assistant Director, Lighting Designer - Squeeze Box - Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Summer 2005
Production Manager/ Assistant to the Director, Squeeze Box - Off-Broadway – Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft Producers.
Assistant to the Director/Production Stage Manager, Merry Wives of Windsor, Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, Rhode Island, Spring 2004
Assistant to the Director/Production Stage Manager, A Christmas Carol (original musical with Stacy Keach), Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston, MA Winter, 2003.
Production Stage Manager, Caucasian Chalk Circle (an original musical adaptation), Hangar Theatre, Summer 2003.
Director- Durang Durang, Auburn Players, Auburn NY, Summer 2003.
Director- William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Auburn Players, Auburn NY, Summer 2002.
Assistant to the Director/Production Stage Manager, Yes! Yes! Nanette!, (an 80th birthday Celebration for Nannette Fabray - with a parade of stars) Pasadena Playhouse, Pasadena, CA, October, 2000.
Assistant to Director/Production Stage Manager, A Christmas Carol, Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, Rhode Island, Winter 2000.
Director and Actress (Guest Artist Performance), Laughing Matters (an evening of comic monologues and scenes for two women), Morgan Opera House, Aurora, NY, Fall, 1997.
Director, Selections from Cowgirls, Wells College Performing Arts Camp for Girls, Aurora, NY, Summer 2000.
Director, Selections from Annie, Wells College Performing Arts Camp for Girls, Aurora, NY, Summer 1999.
Director, The Best of Broadway, Wells College Performing Arts Camp for Girls, Aurora, NY, Summer 1998.
Director, Skits and Bits, Seneca Players, (children’s theatre), Seneca Falls, NY, Summer 1997.
Assistant Director, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Loni Anderson, Kenley Players, Akron, OH, Summer 1995.
Assistant Director, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, with Barbara Eden, Kenley Players, Akron, OH, Summer 1995
Director, The Child Diego, Miracle Theatre Company, Portland, OR, Summer 1992.
Production Stage Manager, ARTPARK, Lewiston, New York , Summer seasons 1989 and 1990.
Acting (Representative Work)
Miriam in James Scherman's Beau Jest, Jewish Repertory Company, Buffalo NY November 2005
Company Member in Steven Schwartz’s Godspel,Guest Artist Performance, Wells College, Aurora, NY, April 1999
Gertrude in Marty Martin’s Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Guest Artist Performance, Wells College, Aurora, NY, March 1995.
Touchstone in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Guest Artist Performance, Aurora Players, Aurora, NY, Summer 1993.
Algy, in Eve Merriam’s The Club, Guest Artist Performance, Wells College, Aurora, NY, Spring 1991.
Viola in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Guest Artist Performance, Auburn Players, Auburn, NY, Summer 1988.
Nance in Steve Gooch’s Female Transport, Guest Artist Performance, Cuyahoga Community College, Parma, OH, 1985.
Producing and Management
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/founder - Tenth Muse Productions - Kent, Ohio - 1980 –1981
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Northwest Service Center - Portland, OR 1991- 1992
Related Skills
Computer:
IBM : Windows 95 through XP operating systems and various Microsoft Software
Macintosh: Microsoft Office X, FileMaker Pro, Final Cut Pro , Illustrator, Photoshop, Pro Tools, After Effects, Quicken,
Currently training in DigiDesign Pro Tools (Audio Engineering and Recording software)
Other Skills:
Distance Learning Classroom Technologies – (trained at BOCES)
Basic Knowledge of Sound Recording and Reinforcement
Stagecrafts, Theatrical Electrician
Television Broadcasting and Video Production
Basic Digital Non Linear Video Editing
Basic Stage Fighting - Hand to Hand Combat
Read Music
Current Directing, Acting and Management Resumes available upon request
REFERENCES
ACADEMIC
Dr. Nan DiBello, Dean (716) 853-7700 ext. 345
Empire State College
Niagara Frontier Center
617 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14203
Dr. Ellen W. Hall, Dean of the College (315) 364 -3241
Wells College
Aurora, NY 13026
Dr. Rosemary Welsh, Professor of Art History, Emeritus, Wells College
4322 Reservoir Road
Geneseo, NY 14454-9757 (585) 243 - 0453
Jeanne Goddard, Professor of Dance
Wells College
Aurora, NY 13026 (315) 364 -3213
Robert DiGiacinto, Designer (former Technical Director, Wells College)
148 Washington St
Ithaca, NY 14802 (607) 277 – 5351
Michael Stone, Chair, Division of Arts and Humanities
Cuyahoga Community College
Parma, Ohio 44130 (216) 987 - 5534
PROFESSIONAL THEATRE
Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director
New York Public Theatre
425 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10003 (212) 539-8500
Ruth Sternberg, Production Director
New York Public Theatre
425 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10003 (212) 539-8500
Roo Dunn, Production Manager
871 N. 21st Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130-1430 (215) 232-0102