Drama Faculty

Image of Shawtane Bowen

Shawtane Bowen is a writer, actor, and producer. He is a founding member of Astronomy Club, the first all-Black house team at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater in New York. Their series, Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show, debuted in Fall 2019 on Netflix to much critical acclaim. 

email shawtanebowen@bennington.edu
Image of Maya Cantu

A dramaturg, theater historian, and author of American Cinderellas on the Broadway Musical Stage (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), Maya Cantu specializes in twentieth-century American theater.

email mayacantu@bennington.edu
Image of Michael Giannitti

Michael Giannitti has extensive professional experience as a lighting designer and educator. He has designed lighting at many of the most prestigious venues around the country and has taught abroad as a two-time Fulbright Specialist Grant recipient.

email mgiannitti@bennington.edu
Image of Tilly Grimes

Tilly Grimes is an Irish/Greek theater, opera, and film designer based in New York.

email tillygrimes@bennington.edu
Image of Kirk Jackson

Kirk Jackson is an actor/director with four decades of experience on and off Broadway and regionally. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he has assisted Ivo van Hove on multiple productions in New York City and, recently, began to direct operas.

email kjackson2@bennington.edu
Image of Dina Janis

Dina Janis is the Artistic Director of the Vermont Public Theater and a lifetime member of the Actors Studio.

email djanis@bennington.edu
Image of Sherry Kramer

Celebrated playwright Sherry Kramer believes every play is created in the audience, and her classes are a treasure hunt to discover how a play shapes our experience and how it makes things matter.

email skramer@bennington.edu
Image of Jean Randich

Jean Randich is an award-winning director, writer, and librettist specializing in new works, musical theatre, opera, and re-envisioned classics. She is cofounder and co-artistic director of Collider Theater in New York City.

email jrandich@bennington.edu
Image of Sue Rees

Sue Rees has exhibited her set designs, animations, installations, and video works worldwide and has worked collaboratively with choreographers, directors, and musicians in the United States, Europe, and India.

email srees@bennington.edu
Image of Jennifer Rohn

Jennifer Rohn has appeared in theatre productions on and off Broadway, in the United States and Europe, and in films and television, collaborating extensively with the renowned director Robert Wilson.

email jrohn@bennington.edu

Visiting Faculty

Image of Charles Schoonmaker
Visiting Faculty

Charles Schoonmaker is an Emmy Award-winning costume designer for theatre, dance, opera, and television.

email cschoonmaker@bennington.edu

Instructor/Technician

Image of Seancolin Hankins
Technical Instructor in Drama

 

With a focus on Scenic Design, Seancolin Hankins takes a comprehensive approach to scenic production, working concurrently in concept, design, construction, and scenic painting. His drive for compelling visuals is paralleled by his commitment to responsible and resourceful use of materials.

email seancolinhankins@bennington.edu
Image of Kumi Ishizawa
Technical Instructor in Audio & Video for Dance and Drama

Kumi Ishizawa is a sound engineer/designer. 

email kumiishizawa@bennington.edu
Image of Richard MacPike
Technical Instructor in Costume Production

Richard MacPike brings his experience working on Broadway shows such as The Lion King and companies like the Santa Fe Opera and Glimmerglass to his work as costume shop manager at Bennington.

email rmacpike@bennington.edu
Davison Scandrett
Technical Instructor in Lighting and Dance Production

Davison Scandrett is a production manager and lighting designer specializing in experimental performance collaborations across dance, architecture, visual art, poetry, music, information science, criticism, theater, and responsive media.

email davisonscandrett@bennington.edu