Meet the Theater Faculty

Sue Bonde, Costumer Shop Manager, Draper, Theater Crafts

Lezlie Cross, Assistant Professor, Theater History, Dramaturgy, Playwriting

Dr. Lezlie C. Cross teaches dramaturgy, theatre history, and dramatic literature as well as directing and dramaturging for the UP Theater program. Her scholarship is rooted in the multi-disciplinary study of performance, history and textual theory, specializing in the study of Shakespeare’s plays in print and on the stage in England and the United States from the first productions to the present day. Her published articles and book reviews appear in Theatre History Studies, Theatre Annual, Shakespeare Bulletin, The Journal of American Drama and Theatre, and Theatre Survey as well as the book projects Women on Stage, Shakespeare Expressed: Page, Stage, and Classroom, and Performing Objects and Theatrical Things.

Dr. Cross is also a professional dramaturg who has worked at regional theatres across America including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Nevada Conservatory Theatre, Cincinnati Shakespeare, Classic Stage Company, and Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington; her M.A. from the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham; and her B.A. from Whitman College. Before joining the faculty at UP, Dr. Cross was on the faculty at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where she was named 2016 College of Fine Arts Teacher of the Year.

Larry Larsen, Academic Associate Dean, Professor, Lighting and Scenic Design

Professor Larsen is in his 18th year teaching at the University. His scenic work at UP includes last year's productions of Present Laughter, Into the Woods and Two Gentlemen of Verona. Other past designs include Much Ado about Nothing, Servant of Two Masters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and The Foreigner. His current professional design work includes Mocks Crest production of Yeoman of the Guard, Cloud Nine at Theatre Vertigo, Collapse for Third Rail, lights for ART’s production of Circle Mirror Transformation, and the scenery for the Portland Christmas Revels. Other theatres designed for include Portland Rep, Tygres Heart Shakespeare, Northwest Children's Theatre, Portland Civic Theatre, Portland Actors Conservatory, Summer Repertory Theatre in Santa Rosa, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Portland. Professor Larsen teaches the technical theatre courses at the University and is the Chair for the Department of Performing and Fine Arts. He has his M.F.A. in scenic and lighting design from the University of Washington.

Education:

·Master of Fine Arts, Univ Washington Seattle

 

Mindi Logan, Associate Professor, Acting, Voice for the Stage

Mindi is beginning her eleventh year teaching for the University of Portland. Her artistic work at the University includes choreography, acting and dialect coaching for last year's productions. Mindi received her MFA from the Professional Actors Training Program at Rutgers University and then worked professionally as an actor in New York and Los Angeles, appearing off-Broadway, in soap operas, sit-coms, and film. Continuing her professional acting career, Mindi has appeared locally with Artists Repertory Theatre, Quintessence Theater, Stark Raving Theatre, in commercials, industrials, and voice-overs. Mindi also serves as the Regional Chair of the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival. Mindi's husband, Hal, is a professional musician and composer who also works locally and teaches at the University of Portland.

Education:

Master of Fine Arts, Rutgers U Sch Arts
 

Jennifer Hammontree, Adjunct Professor, Production Management

 
Hal Logan, Adjunct Professor, Theater Sound Design   

Hal Logan is a composer, sound designer and studio owner, and a professor of Music Technology at the University of Portland. He has been involved in the Portland theater scene for about 11 years, and has worked with most of the professional theaters in town. He lives in Portland with his wife, actor and University of Portland professor, Mindi Logan.

Hal Logan has provided professional set drumming and percussion work in bands and performance groups across a wide variety of genres. He has performed and arranged professional vocal solo and ensemble works, and he has created a vast repertoire of original compositions, songs and advertising music.

His compositions were recently featured in Us vs, Them for Dark Luna Productions in New York; God’s Ear at Theatre Vertigo; Richard III for the Northwest Classical Theatre; Lost Wavelengths in the JAW West Festival; Much Ado About Nothing and Treatment at the Quintessence Theater, and Fuente Ovejuna, Rosalba y los Llaveros, and Te llevo en la sangre at Miracle Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Tygres Heart Theatre, Lysistrata, The Musical at the University of Portland, Dialogues at the University of Idaho. In film he has provided sound compositions for The Gift for the Adidas Short Film Contest; and Show Me A Sign from A Doll’s Story, a short film by Jim Seaton.

Hal Logan also designed the video for the Lewis and Clark College production of PLUMFIELD, IRAQ.

Hal Logan received a Bachelor’s of Music in vocal education, and a Master’s of Music in Composition fro the Lionel Hampton School of Music, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho.


Eric Lyness, Technical Director, Theater Crafts
 

Gregory Pulver, Associate Professor, Theater Program Head, Costume, Choreography and Stage Makeup Design

Gregory is currently Theater Program Director and Professor of costume design, makeup and choreography for the University of Portland Theater Department and one of the 28 Resident Artists’ at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland Oregon. He moved to Portland after a successful run as an Associate Professor of Costume Design at Western Washington University for 12 years and Chair of the WWU Theatre Department for three and a half of those years.

Mr. Pulver holds an MFA in costume design and choreography from Humboldt State University, CA. He is the 1993 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Costume Design Winner for his work on Three Penny Opera. He is a member of the international board of advisors for The Last Frontier Theatre Conference and participates yearly as a featured artist, mentoring new American playwrights.

Among designing both sets and costumes for Bag and Baggage Theatre, and costumes for Broadway Rose Theatre, and currently for Artists Repertory Theatre, Gregory has also designed for several short films and TV spots in Washington including a dance for the camera film titled Egg Skin.

Gregory is also an accomplished director, singer, actor, and dog owner.


Elizabeth Rothan, Adjunct Professor, Stage Movement and Combat

Elizabeth Rothan has dedicated her life to the performing arts as actor, playwright, director, producer and teacher. She has worked with playwrights Mark Medoff in The Gulf War Chronicle, Meline Marnich in Quake and Mac Wellman in Two September. Regional credits include: Mrs. Warren's Profession, Retreat from Moscow, Dixie Swim Club, Be Aggressive, and the role of Simone de Beauvoir in Transatlantic Liaison at the Harold Clurman Theater in NYC. 

Elizabeth has taught diverse acting disciplines at Eugene O'Neill's National Theater Institute, University of Portland, Linfield College, and is currently teaching at Portland Actors Conservatory. Recent directing credits include Midsummer Night's Dream at PAC (December, 2015) and Andrea Stolowitz's Successful Strategies (June, 2016) at Theater 33.

Michelle Seaton, Adjunct Professor, Acting for Non-Majors

Michelle Seaton recently moved back to Portland, Oregon, after an eight-year hiatus in New York and New Jersey, where she received an MFA in directing from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. In addition to her MFA, she founded the New York-based company Dark Luna Productions, where she directed numerous productions, including off-off Broadway's Passage and Us vs. Them (which she also acted in). Some other NY/NJ directing credits include Egyptology, Walking Shadows, Cloud Tectonics, Voir Dire, Dog Sees God, Stop Kiss, Wilde Abandon, Rosemary with Ginger, as well as a piece from Lee Blessing's Reading Series and the 7th Inning Stretch at Miles Square Theatre.

Prior to graduate school, Michelle was the resident director and actor for Stark Raving Theatre, where she directed Drammy Award-winning ElectroPuss as well as Weeping Woman, Thrust, The Principle and the Pee and Vamp. Other Portland productions include Theatre Vertigo's The Flu Season and In the Air from the 24-Hours Play Series. Some acting credits include "T" in Us vs. Them, "Andromache" in Trojan Women, "Viola" in Twelfth Night, "Aphrodite" in Cupid and Psyche, various characters in Frogwoman, "Lenore" in Treatment, "Dora" in the 24-Hour Play, "Janie" in Isn't It Romantic, "Elma" in Bus Stop, "Mary" in Serenading Louie, "Fanny" in DarkStep & Dawning and "Sorel" in Hay Fever.

Michelle has worked in theatres such as Ensemble Studio Theatre, St. Louis Repertory, The Eugene O'Neill Center and the American Globe. She teaches acting at the University of Portland and Linfield College. Michelle is a graduate from Portland Actors Conservatory and holds a double BA in theatre and communications from Linfield College.


Andrew Wardenaar, Adjunct Professor, Directing

Education:

·Bachelor of Arts, Earlham Coll