Faculty

We bring different perspectives to the table, but we’re united by a love for purposeful work, thoughtful design, and real connection.

Michael Lugering

Founder

  • MICHAEL LUGERING is a master teacher of voice, movement and acting. Mr. Lugering has spent over 15 years researching the physical, psychological, behavioral and aesthetic aspects of human expression. The Lugering Method marks a revolutionary departure from traditional methods of actor training. In this truly integrated technique the voice and body, thought and feeling, sound and movement, psyche and soma are synthesized in the practical exploration of expression action. Mr. Lugering’s new book THE EXPRESSIVE ACTOR: An Integrated Method of Voice, Movement & Actor Training is published by Heinemann Drama Books. Mr. Lugering has taught master classes in acting, voice, movement and classical text at theatre conferences and Professional Acting Training Programs throughout the United States, Korea and in the United Kingdom. Recent acting credits include JOE: preformed in Las Vegas, Monaco, Scotland, Los Angeles, Liverpool, Japan and Quebec. Additionally, Mr. Lugering is a passionate director noted for his innovative approach to the classics. He has served as a professional voice coach for the Utah Shakespearian Festival and the Nevada Conservatory Theatre.

Sean Boyd

Master Teacher

  • SEAN BOYD is a recognized faculty member of Michael Lugering's Expressive Actor Technique and is first to attain the distinction of Associate Teacher. He has invested most of his personal development towards the understanding and development of the physical life of the actor, with particular focus on the integration of psycho/physical connection and its use as a source of behavioral and character development. Boyd spent the summer of 2009 at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art studying movement and character as it applies to the texts of Shakespeare. Sean also brings his experience as a RYT200 certified teacher of Vinyasa and Hatha Yoga into his voice and movement work.  

    A member of the Actors’ Equity Association, he has acted for regional theaters across the country including the Sacramento Music Circus, the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, the Neil Simon Festival, Bard in the Quad and the Genesis Shakespeare Company. Sean continues to stay busy in the New Orleans film/tv market as well appearing I Love You Phillip Morris, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans, Dallas Buyers Club, Breakout Kings and Treme. As a fight director and instructor, Boyd has directed fights for regional theaters and independent film features in Nevada, California, West Virginia and Missouri, including the latest national tours of Camelot and Peter Pan. 

    He is a recognized Fight Instructor, Fight Director and Master Theatrical Combatant with Dueling Arts International, an Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and a 1st Degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate. Boyd has been teaching martial arts, yoga and theatrical combat for over 20 years and has worked with Dueling Arts International since 2000. 

    Sean is the Associate Professor of Movement & Acting at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he teaches Michael Lugering's Expressive Actor Technique to both MFA and BFA theatre students.

    MFA in Performance - University of Nevada, Las Vegas
    MA in Theatre - Oklahoma State University

Kristen Loree

Master Teacher

  • KRISTEN LOREE, Professor of Performance at the University of New Mexico (MFA in Acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts) and is also an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework. Kristen teaches Voice for the Actor, Speech and Dialect, Movement, Performance Art and Acting for Camera. Her solo works (By Language Embellished: I, Ursonate, VIXIN and The Tribulations of a Lesbian Folk Singer) have taken her all across the country. Kristen has directed a plethora of shows, including Frankenstein, Life During Wartime, Plunda and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. She can be seen (and heard) on television, commercials, radio and film (Breaking Bad and Unspeakable, most recently). Her favorite stage roles include Stephanie in Duet for One, Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Mary in The Women. Kristen is a founding member of Sol Arts a community performance nonprofit.

Vanecia J. Boone

Certified Teacher

  • VANECIA J. BOONE is an actress, director, and voice and movement specialist whose career spans over fifteen years of professional performance and collegiate pedagogy. A visionary artist and scholar, Vanecia’s work is rooted in a deep commitment to storytelling that bridges the gap between classical technique and contemporary expression. Her recent accolades include four national American College Theatre Festival awards for her production of Miss Evers' Boys with NC A&T State University. She recently graced the stage as Missy Judson in Purlie Victorious with the North Carolina Black Repertory Company at the International Black Theatre Festival. Her 2026 performance repertoire also features standout roles such as Cory in The Race, Elizabeth in In The Next Room. Beyond the stage, Vanecia is a creative force in the community. She is the founder of Soul Sessions Las Vegas, an event series designed to cultivate artistic expression and community connection. As a celebrated Slam Poetry winner, she understands the power of the spoken word and the rhythm of language, elements she weaves into her acting and directing. She brings a wealth of experience to her role as an educator, challenging students and professionals alike to unlock their physical and vocal potential to create performances that resonate with authenticity and power

  • The Expressive Actor technique or The Lugering Method has been nothing short of transformative for my career. As an actress, it provided me with the missing link between impulse and action; as a teacher of theatre, it gave me a clear, vocabulary to help students navigate the often abstract world of performance. The Expressive Actor provides a clear path to connect to one's voice and body. It demystifies the process of finding and playing action, allowing the performer to move beyond mere recitation and into true embodiment. This work equips theatre professionals with the roadmap to develop character and roles that transform performances from ordinary to extraordinary.

T. Fulton Burns

Certified Teacher

  • T. FULTON BURNS (Director and Professor of Theatre - Florida State College at Jacksonville) is a professional educator, performer, director and choreographer, and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. He has worked as an assistant director with Moises Kaufman, collaborated & performed with the Living Theatre, danced with Charleston Ballet Theater & Greenville Ballet, and has worked with Cirque du Soleil’s production of Quidam.

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    Fulton attended Winthrop University where he earned his BA in Theatre Performance with a Minor in Dance and completed his graduate work at W.I.U. specializing in Performance & Directing for the Stage (MFA).  

    ​

    Burns has trained with the Disney Institute and Theatrical Intimacy Education. He is recognized by professional training institutions such as YogaFit & Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher (200 E-RYT, 500 RYT, & a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider/Yoga Master Trainer), a Certified Teacher with the Expressive Actor Technique, a Certified Instructor with the Dueling Arts International, a Certified Teacher with the National Michael Chekhov Association and as a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors.

Jenn Chandler

Certified Teacher

  • JENN CHANDLER is an actor, musician, composer, educator, and proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association. Jenn originated the role of the female Bank Manager in the 2nd National Tour of Once, and has acted at numerous regional theatres, including the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Ogunquit Playhouse, Bucks County Playhouse, the Paramount Theatre, and the Ensemble Theatre Company. She has also had the pleasure of working with many award winning directors, including John Doyle, BD Wong, and John Tiffany.

    Jenn’s original music has been featured in multiple theatrical productions, short films, and web series. You can currently find her music on all streaming platforms.

    She earned her MFA in Acting from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, an MA in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and a BA in Theatre Education K-12, as well as a BMu in Cello Performance from Brigham Young University. She is currently teaching acting, directing, and musical theatre at the University of Boston, Massachusetts

  • I use the Lugering Technique in every performance class I teach. It is a transformative technique that dramatically changed how I think as an actor, director, and educator. It gave me an expansive vocabulary that helps me identify what I (and my students) do physically, vocally, and oftentimes emotionally when performing. I personally believe that Expressive Actor work should be taught everywhere. This technique gives actors power, because with it, they can consistently create and re-create characters, subtext, stories, and emotion in every performance, rather than relying fully on chance or innate ability. An actor, just like a musician, has to learn how to master their instrument (which for us, is our body and voice), and this technique helps every actor to do just that. 

  • Website: www.jennchandler.com 

Stephen Crandall

Certified Teacher

  • STEPHEN CRANDALL received his M.F.A. in Performance from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2007. While at UNLV, he performed with the Nevada Conservatory Theatre in A Man for All Seasons (Roper), The Gamester (Valére), Inherit the Wind (Hornbeck), Private Lives (Victor), Twelfth Night (Orsino), The Glass Menagerie (Tom), and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown). Stephen has also performed with Sacramento Music Circus in 1776 (Thomson) and The Sound of Music (Herr Zeller), and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. During his graduate training, he concurrently studied and taught the Lugering method for six semesters, with an additional semester taught after graduation. This work has become the foundation of his acting practice and philosophy, and he is thrilled to be among a growing faculty dedicated to sharing this method of integrated voice, movement, and acting technique. Stephen is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre at West Texas A&M University, where he teaches all levels of undergraduate acting. He began teaching the Lugering method as the primary voice & movement training at WT in the fall of 2011. Stephen has most recently directed productions of Tartuffe, By the Bog of Cats, and The Children’s Hour at WT, and performed as Freddie in Noises Off with Merely Players.

Anna Lisa Fischel

Certified Teacher

  • LISA FISCHEL, MFA | EMC, is an innovative and collaborative Atlanta-based Theatre Artist and Educator. She specializes in Voice & Movement pedagogy and is a certified teacher in Michael Lugering’s The Expressive Actor: Integrated Voice, Movement, and Acting Training. She is skilled in Shakespeare, Acting for the Camera, devising, and contemporary works. Lisa has served as the Vice President of The Association of Theatre Movement Educators, and is a member of the Association of Theatre for Higher Education and the Voice & Speech Trainers Association. Her niche in teaching is the ability to teach the individual in traditional group settings. Lisa is a vivacious and engaging educator who thrives in uniting a collective and inspiring those around her to reach their greatest potential in their personal and professional lives. She received a BA in Stage & Screen Acting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an MFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. Lisa currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Theatre & the Program Director of BA in Theatre at Brenau University.

  • The Expressive Actor is essential to contemporary actor training in both stage and screen. Artists cultivate a deep understanding and connection to their physical & vocal instrument, develop an accessible vocabulary in their work as a theatre artist, and have a practical guide to creating dynamic character when approaching any script. It is the most valuable tool and pedagogy I have as a practicing professional artist and educator. 

  • Email: lafischel@gmail.com 

    Website: lisa-fischel.com

Julie Heaton

Certified Teacher

  • JULIE HEATON is the Director of the Theater Program at Salt Lake Community College. In addition to teaching acting and directing classes, she works as a voice artist and film actress, and has been featured in numerous television and radio commercials all over the country.  She has worked as a choreographer and director at the Barlow Arts Conservatory, Desert Star Playhouse, and the Junior Shakespeare Company at the University of Utah. She currently sings in the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir under the direction of Dr. Mack Wilberg and Dr. Ryan Murphy.  She began her career in stage acting and musical theater in 1996, received a B.A. in Theater Studies from the University of Utah in 2001, and an MFA in Performance from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada in 2004.   While attending UNLV, she studied and helped develop the 1st edition of The Expressive Actor, written by master teacher Michael Lugering.  Julie is dedicated to teaching young actors about the principles of  the Lugering Method, which empower actors to integrate the voice with the body in order to create a believable character.  She taught the method for 4 consecutive semesters during her time at UNLV, and continues to use its principles in her own work and the classroom.  Julie is a member of the Actor's Equity Association.

Marybeth Holloway

Certified Teacher

  • MARYBETH HOLLOWAY was born in New Jersey and raised in Rhode Island. She minored in theater at Longwood College in Farmville where she performed in various mainstage productions. A high school drama teacher for 2 years in Orlando where she produced and directed over 10 productions, she left to pursue her graduate degree at Actors Studio in New York City where she worked Off-Broadway on Sam Shepard's newest play, God of Hell and Off-off Broadway on Stuart Vaughan's As You Like It. She holds an MFA in Theatre at Rhode Island College. She has performed with various regional, summer stock, and community groups and has numerous film/tv credits. She is currently a Professor at the University of South Carolina, Lancaster.

Laura James

Certified Teacher

  • LAURA JAMES is a British educator living in France and working as the Head of the IEYC (early years) for the International Curriculum Association (ICA). Laura has worked in and with schools in the UK and Internationally for the past 20 years. Her roles with schools have been as Head of School, teacher, workshop shop leader, consultant, additional needs support, Safeguarding lead, Mental health lead and curriculum writer. Outside of education Laura has worked as a theatre performer, researcher and director. Laura co-runs ESYTA theatre school in France which works with multi-lingual children aged 3 – 18 looking to experience theatre in English. This school is currently working on a production with a school in Malawi to co-construct a theatre script to share with the students across the two countries and seeks to create international connections through theatre around the world.

    From 2012 – 2021 Laura ran her own 200 place nursery school in London, UK called Under 1 Roof. As well as being Director and Head of school Laura was also lead teacher for the preschool and in charge of implementing and overseeing the International Early years Curriculum.  Under 1 Roof also housed a theatre, work spaces, shopping village and restaurant which gave the Laura experience of managing a range of family services. Laura is an accredited NSPCC UK Child Protection trainer and accredited Mental Health trainer through NHS, UK and works with clients around the world implementing policy and procedure and training the staff teams.

    Previous to this Laura founded and directed Theatre tots (an early year’s drama and music education company) for 16 years which took her in and out of many early years environments in the UK and abroad. In recent years she integrated Theatre tots into schools in Qatar, USA, Australia, China and around the UK.

  • Working with The Expressive Actor changed the trajectory of my vision and approach to performance and my own teaching. I was lucky enough to come across this work early in my professional life and have found myself consistently coming back to it in both my performance and educational careers. It is work which connects you to yourself in a way which serves you beyond the stage and into real life.

  • Email: laurasydonie@gmail.com

    Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/laura-james-ba366025

Janelle M. Lannan

Certified Teacher

  • JANELLE M. LANNAN is an early childhood music educator, voice teacher, and performer in Atlanta, Georgia, teaching The Music Class to young children and their parents (themusicclass.com). In New York, she was an active contributing member and performer with Emerging Artists Theatre Company (eatheatre.org) and Anonymous Ensemble (anonymousensemble.com). Currently, she teaches private voice at the New School of Music in Dunwoody, GA based in the Lugering Expressive Actor approach and has found it exceedingly successful (newschoolofmusic.com). She continues to perform in Atlanta and is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA.

  • For more information please visit www.janellelannan.com

Shelley Lynn

Certified Teacher

  • SHELLEY LYNN is an adjunct theatre instructor at The University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the College of Southern Nevada focusing on physical theatre and devised performance. She is the founder of The Vision Space – a performance and life coaching company designed to maximize human potential in education and the arts. Currently based in Las Vegas Nevada, Shelley spent sixteen years between the UK, Boston and Colorado making original theatre and directing while earning her BA in Performing Arts from DeMontfort University, Leicester UK and a Masters in Performance Studies at Queen Mary University of London. In this time she worked with numerous professionals as a dramaturg, coach and director including Obie award winning Robbie McCauley, writer, director Tim Etchells of Forced Entertainment, and Paula Murray Cole and Richard Schechner in their development of physical theatre practice, rasaboxes. In 1998 she co-founded Performance Works theatre dance company based in Colorado, with choreographer Katherine Hooper – and launched the East Coast version, BoSoma, with Hooper in 2004. She is a certified Expressive Actor teacher in the Lugering method and a Yoga Alliance 200 hour Ashtanga yoga instructor. Today, alongside running The Vision Space, Shelley directs emerging artists from the local community as well as seasoned performers from Cirque and other national touring companies.

Frannie Maas

Certified Teacher

  • FRANNIE MAAS is a Los Angeles based actor working in theatre and film. She earned her MFA in Acting Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). While at UNLV, she trained extensively under Founder Michael Lugering and Master Teacher Sean Boyd. Frannie's passion for devising and developing new work has traveled with her everywhere she’s lived and worked –– across the United States, in Spain, and recently at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, where she and her collaborators were awarded 5 stars for their piece "Is It Art?" by the illustrious publication The Scotsman. Frannie is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.

  • What draws me to this work is its grounding in contemporary neuroscience with regard to how the body and brain work together. I'm interested in shifting the landscape of traditional acting methods in that direction. The Expressive Actor Technique not only changed how I train, it changed how I think about longevity in this industry, and what it means to build a practice that lasts.

Lynne Perkins

Certified Teacher

  • LYNNE PERKINS has over forty years of experience as a professional actor, director, casting director, voice over artist, creativity consultant, and educator.  She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association,  a certified instructor for the Expressive Actor Training method, an intimacy coordinator, a sound designer, and she has served as Artistic Director of Picture This, producer for Bridgework Touring Theatre, founding board member & director of the Richmond Shakespeare Festival, and Directing Mentor for the Region 3 KCACTF National Playwriting Program.  Lynne received the 2020 Association for Theatre in Higher Education / Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region III Prize for Innovative Teaching.  Also serving as Convener of the Earlham College Department of Theatre Arts, Lynne has adapted, directed, and produced world premiere productions for two Earlham College tours to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; plans are underway for a 2026 production.  Acting and directing credits include work with Indiana Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Syracuse Stage, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Phoenix Theatre, Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, Lilly Theatre - Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, American Lives Theatre, Ted & Company and other theaters throughout the Midwest and East Coast.  Favorite productions include The Sea Horse, Steel Magnolias, You Can’t Take It With You, Hamlet, King Lear, Twelfth Night, A Christmas Carol, To Kill a Mockingbird, Nunsense, Fiddler on the Roof, The Wizard of Oz, Smoke on the Mountain: A Sanders Family Christmas, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Pinocchio, and Fun Home.

  • The Expressive Continuum has become an essential (and efficient) part of my work with actors of all experience levels in workshops, classes, and the full production development process.  I find the introduction of Expressive Actions and the associated filtering exercises quickly empower actors to trust their instincts and lead to richer performances and a strong sense of ensemble.

Greg Prusiewicz

Certified Teacher

  • GREG PRUSIEWICZ currently teaches acting, voice, and movement at the Academy of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts (ADCA) in Las Vegas. He received his BFA in Acting at Otterbein University and his MFA in Performance at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada where he trained in The Expressive Actor under Michael Lugering and Sean Boyd. He also earned a Certificate of Advanced Theatre Training from the Moscow Art Theatre School where he trained under Master Teachers Sergey Zemtsov and Misha Lobanov. With the CFACoLAB, he helped devise and performed in Is It Art? at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, receiving a 5 Star review from The Scotsman. Other favorite roles include Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Yepikhodov in The Cherry Orchard, Orlando in As You Like It, and Clown in The 39 Steps.

  • For over twenty years, I explored every technique I could get my hands on to find a way into my body. The Expressive Actor is the only method I have found that is practical and specifically focused on the voice and movement needs of the actor. It produces observable results faster than any other technique and builds the skills needed for integrated expression. I have incorporated the principals into every aspect of my acting and teaching, and The Expressive Actor has completely reformed my views on acting, directing, and art. 

  • Website: www.gregprusiewicz.com

Stephen Reyes

Certified Teacher

  • STEPHEN REYES is a New York-based performing artist/instructor. He is co-founder of the Kinetic Space Theatre Ensemble. He received his MFA in Theatre Performance from UNLV in 2001. He also holds a B.A. in Spanish & Drama from the University of Arkansas. He has taught the Lugering Method for 5 consecutive semesters at UNLV and has studied under the supervision of Mr. Lugering for 3 years as a student, instructor, and actor in performance. His performance credits include Romeo in the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival’s Romeo and Juliet and the title role in Nevada Conservatory Theatre’s inaugural season production of Hamlet. He has also performed in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in the Utah Shakespearean Festival’s Pirates of Pinzance and The Tempest. His New York credits include Alyosha in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov Pt. 1 (The Culture Project), Laertes in The Hamlet Project (La MaMa E.T.C.), and dancer in The Breasts of Tyresias (Williamsburg Arts Center). At present, Stephen is training and introducing the Lugering Method as a guest artist at the performance studio Espacio Seis with the Colectivo de Arte 619 and teaching English Expression & Language Arts with the faculty at the Villa Maria Academy in Santiago, Chile.

Ryan Ruckman

Certified Teacher

  • Coming Soon

Matthew Sandoval

Certified Teacher

  • MATTHEW SANDOVAL is the Artistic Director and Founder of first function. He is an NYC performance artist dedicated to re-envisioning contemporary dance & theatre. He produced, directed, & acted in first function’s production, I , which premiered in November 2003at the Producers Club. He has collaborated w/ “23 Elephants”, most recently directing their original comedy “The Unspeakable Act” at the New York Comedy Club. He also played Iago in their production of Othello at the Creative Place Theatre. Mathew performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2000 w/ the Velvet Vipers under the direction of Davey Marlin Jones. In 2001 he returned to the Edinburgh Fringe w/ choreographer Louis Kavouras to perform Kavouras’ duet My Brother, which subsequently went on to tour in Guatemala. Mathew has also danced in the Erick Hawkins Legacy Forum Concert at Hunter College in 2002. Mathew is trained in the Erick Hawkins technique of Modern Dance, has studied integrated voice & movement w/ master teacher Michael Lugering, & Clown w/ NYC’s Vaudeville icon Eric Davis. Mathew holds a bachelors degree in English/Literature from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

David Shamburger

Certified Teacher

  • DAVID SHAMBURGER teaches in the Musical Theatre program within the School of Music at Belmont.  He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  After spending some time in New York, David returned to teach in the Undergraduate and Graduate programs at UNLV.   After returning for a short stay in New York, his love for teaching drew him to the University System of Georgia where he taught Theatre at Middle Georgia College for five years while continuing to perform and direct in the region.   David left Georgia to become Director of Performance Studies in the Department of Theatre at Huntington University, Indiana where he eventually became Chair of the department.  Though his area of emphasis is Voice and Movement, he has a wide knowledge of performing and teaching Shakespeare and makes little distinction between the acting demands of the Musical and that of Classical Theatre.   The acting and voice technique he teaches is based on the Linklater approach to freeing the voice along with influences from M. Lugering (The Expressive Actor), F. M. Alexander, Rudolph Laban, Constantine Stanislavsky, and the external method of Susanna Bloch's, Alba Emoting.   David has been a resident member of the Granbury Opera House in Texas, the Horse Cave Repertory Theatre in Kentucky, Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (CAST) in Iowa, McLeod Summer Playhouse in Illinois, and Saint Michael's Playhouse in Vermont.   Some of his favorite musical theatre experiences  include roles in  GYPSY, ANYTHING GOES, KISS ME KATE, FOREVER PLAID, 1940'S RADIO HOUR, DAMN YANKEES, CRAZY FOR YOU, MAN OF LAMANCHA, 110 IN THE SHADE, INTO THE WOODS, I DO! I DO!, and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.  David also enjoys teaching, performing and directing Shakespeare.  His experience includes KING JOHN, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, JULIUS CAESAR, ROMEO AND JULIET, and AS YOU LIKE IT.  Other performance credits include THE CRUCIBLE, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, NOISES OFF, WAIT UNTIL DARK, TARTUFFE, THE CHERRY ORCHARD. He was also in the original cast of AND THE ANGELS SING, A NEW MUSICAL REVIEW, which premiered at the Odessy Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. In New York City, David worked as a performer, director, and composer. His musical Compositions have been performed and heard in several plays and Caberets across the country. 

    David is happily married to Kristi Brannon-Shamburger and they have four beautiful children, twins, Emma Jo and Charles Aubrey, Abigail Olivia, and Wesley Matthias.  He attributes his career to mentors Jack Wann, Tim Fink, and Michael Lugering for their invaluable teaching and owes all of his successes to God and his relationship with Jesus Christ.

Kristi Shamburger

Certified Teacher

  • KRISTI SHAMBURGER is an Associate Professor now serving as Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance.  She has a Bachelor of Music (Music Theatre) from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio and an MFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  A member of Actor’s Equity Association for 26 years, she has worked in such regional theatres as Skylight Opera Theatre (Milwaukee, WI.,) Lyric Opera Cleveland (Cleveland, OH.,) St. Michael's Playhouse (Colchester, Vt.,) The Odyssey (Los Angeles, CA.,) and more. She taught theatre and musical theatre courses and choreographed for Middle Georgia College, Huntington University and Belmont University before joining the MTSU theatre faculty in 2010. Kristi has had the pleasure of directing Cinderella, Sweeney Todd, 9 to 5, Peter Pan, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Les Misérables at MTSU, to name only a few.  Additionally, she serves as the advisor to our Musical Theatre Performance minor students and teaches Musical Theatre Performance, Musical Theatre Performance II, and Musical Theatre History. She is a certified instructor of the Expressive Actor Technique, often exploring this technique with students in Voice for the Actor classes and workshops across the Southeast. 

  • Expressive Actor technique and the tools explored in the technique prove to be a successful path to integrated action.  Every workshop shared has been met with enthusiastic response and students excited about the discoveries made and a new shared vocabulary with the Expressive Continuum!

Jonathan Shultz, D.C.

Certified Teacher

  • DR. JONATHAN SHULTZ is a Doctor of Chiropractic, educator, and former professional actor whose work explores the relationship between movement, health, and human expression. After earning an MFA in Theatre, he performed professionally throughout the United States while studying voice, movement, and actor training under master teacher Michael Lugering.

    His passion for understanding the human body led him beyond the stage into yoga, human movement, and ultimately chiropractic, where he discovered a discipline that united his lifelong interests in movement, performance, and human potential. Today, Dr. Shultz is the founder of Vital Chiropractic & Wellness in Austin, Texas, where he helps individuals and families restore movement, build resilience, and live healthier, more active lives.

    Drawing from decades of experience in the performing arts, movement education, and clinical practice, Dr. Shultz believes that life expresses itself through movement, and that true wellness extends beyond physical health to include our capacity to communicate, connect, create, and fully express ourselves. His work in Expressive Health explores this often-overlooked dimension of human well-being through workshops, education, and experiential learning.

  • Michael Lugering’s work profoundly shaped me as an actor, teacher, and human being. The Expressive Actor gave me a deeper understanding of movement, voice, communication, and authentic expression that has influenced my work for decades. I recommend it wholeheartedly to every serious actor—and to anyone interested in becoming more present, connected, and fully expressive.

Burton Tedesco

Certified Teacher

  • BURTON TEDESCO is an actor, director, and fight director with multiple regional credits. His acting

    credits include Master Page in Hawaii Shakespeare Festival’s production of The Merry

    Wives of Windsor, Macduff in Macbeth (New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane),

    Caliban in The Tempest (New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane), and more. Since

    2011, he has served as the fight director in residence at the New Orleans Shakespeare

    Festival at Tulane, choreographing violence for nearly twenty productions. Burton has

    directed three NOSF productions, including a heartbreaking production of Romeo and

    Juliet last summer. In 2022, he was one of sixteen international artists invited to work with

    Frantic Assembly in London.

    Burton holds a BA in Theatre Performance from the University of South Florida and an MFA

    in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is a Certified

    Teacher of The Expressive Actor: Integrated Voice, Movement and Acting Training developed

    by Michael Lugering at UNLV. Burton is recognized by Dueling Arts International as a Full

    Instructor and Advanced Actor Combatant. In addition, he has studied theatrical intimacy

    with both Theatrical Intimacy Educators and Intimacy Directors and Coordinators.

  • During my early actor training, I was told by countless teachers and directors to get out of my head. It wasn't until I began my Expressive Actor training that I realized that I was in my head because all my previous technique training took an internal-to-external approach. Of course, I was in my head. It was all I knew.  Michael Lugering's Expressive Actor work provided techniques and processes for an external-to-internal approach. His sensing-first philosophy has been the most significant influence on my work as a theater artist.

Chrissy Wright

Certified Teacher

  • CHRISSY WRIGHT received her MFA in Theatre Performance from UNLV in 2001. As well as being a professional actress, she is the Head of the Dance Studies Program at American Heritage in Plantation Florida. Being involved in theatre and dance her entire life, Chrissy’s work; not only, as a performer but also a Director/Choreographer, has been seen all over the world. She was introduced to the Lugering Method during its inception at UNLV. Through the work she discovered an integrated method of voice and movement training that is not only appropriate for actors, but for singers and dancers as well. In the Fall of 2007, Chrissy re-organized the voice, movement program at American Heritage introducing the Lugering Method as the primary method of training.

Christian Cooper

Teacher Trainee

  • CHRISTIAN COOPER holds a BFA in Acting from Florida Atlantic University and a MFA in Acting from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also studied Shakespeare at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Favorite credits include Casa Valentina (Jonathan/Miranda), Proof (Hal), Torch Song (Ed), The Little Foxes (Leo) and the title character in Hamlet. Christian also does Improv Comedy and is a founding member of Improv Therapy, the in-house, adult improv troupe at Barclay Performing Arts. When not onstage, Christian teaches acting and theatre classes at New World School of the Arts as well as Broward College, and Barclay Performing Arts.

  • The Expressive Actor technique has been life changing for me. It helped me discover my body as an instrument and learn to own my space. I've learned to create dynamic characters with my body and voice.

  • Phone: (239) 989-5740

    Email: CCooper4@mdc.edu

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