Graduate Students in Residence

Mahmoud Abusultan graduated with a B.A. in English from Al-Azhar University - Gaza in 2015 before joining the Fulbright Foreign Student Program in 2019 and receiving an M.A. in Theatre from Bowling Green State University in 2021.  He came into the Ph.D. in Theatre program to continue his urgent research on Palestinian theatre and performance culture, as well as to prepare himself for a future career as an academic/professor.

Samson Akanni is a final-year Ph.D. student and a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Theatre and Film at Bowling Green State University. His research interests include Dance, Ritual, Gender, Activism, Practice as Research, Afro-pop, Choreography, and African/African diasporic Studies. After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the Department of Theatre Arts, at the University of Ibadan, where he majored and minored in Dance and Acting, respectively, he competed and won the Erasmus scholarship which sponsored his studies across Europe in the Choreomundus Program – International Master in Dance Knowledge, Practice, and Heritage. In November 2022, he did an hour solo dance Performance titled Frídọ̀mù Kọ̀nìfáìndì at the Wolfe Centre for the Arts, Bowling Green, Ohio, and presented a paper on the performance titled “Frídọ̀mù Kọ̀nìfáìndì: A Solo Dance Project on Healing, Activism, and Practice as Research” at the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) conference in October 2023. In March 2024, Akanni gave a TEDxBGSU speech on how to use dance to improve human mental health. He is currently ABD, concluding the final chapters of his dissertation which focuses on how dance serves as a medium to negotiate cultural preservation, resistance, and transmission of embodied knowledge in Oyotunji African Kingdom

Haley Anissa Alvarez (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Ph.D. student from Pharr, Texas completing her 3rd year in the program. She identifies as a Mechicana Scholartist who studies the intersectionality of gender and race in early Latinx Theatre. She obtained her Masters in Arts from Baylor University in Waco, Texas along with receiving a Bachelors in Fine Arts from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. She currently teaches THFM 2020: Performance in Life and Onstage, and has also taught THFM 2150: Exploring Cultural Diversity Through Performance.

Madison Ellis (she/her/hers): Madison is from Cleveland, OH, but she is a Boston fan at heart [Go Celtics!]. She received her B.A. In Theatre from Miami University of Ohio and her M.A. in Theatre from Bowling Green State University where she is currently pursuing her PhD. You may have seen her in BGSU's productions of POTUS (Harriet) by Selina Fillinger, Electra (Clytemnestra) adapted by Frank McGuinness, or The Harvest (Michaela) by Samuel D. Hunter. Upcoming projects include Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson (Director) and Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights by Gertrude Stein (Assistant Director). With interests in acting and directing, Madison hopes to uncover new avenues for performance pedagogy. Her pending dissertation research situates an intersecting lens of monster and feminist theory to dissect 'monstrous' characters on stage. 

Sarah Hopson (she/her) is a 1st year Ph.D. student. Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Sarah received her B.A. in Theatre and Cinema Performance from Asbury University in 2020 and her M.A. here at Bowling Green State University in 2024. Her experience includes 15 years of stage and screen performance as well as specific work in theatre and education integration from the Alliance Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Currently, Sarah teaches THFM 2020: Performance in Life and On Stage and serves as the Theatre Social Media and Publicity Manager for the department.

Christopher completed his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Theatre Arts at New Mexico State University and his Master of Arts in Theatre Technology and Production from the University of Connecticut. He has worked for various regional theaters and performing arts festivals both nationally and internationally. His academic focus is on politics, performance and the purpose of theatre.

Jaehoon Kim is a second-year Ph.D. student at Bowling Green State University. He earned his M.F.A Directing in Theatre Arts at the University of South Dakota and B.A. Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa. During his M.F.A., he won the achievement in directing from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for ‘The Mirror Princess, Pyung-gang’ and ‘General O’s Toenails.’ He has worked as a professional director, playwright, stage manager, and educator in South Korea. He has directed six plays and one musical and written four plays and one musical. Additionally, he expanded his area to the V.R. game scenario this Summer. Moreover, Art Council Korea sponsored him to participate in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa as the representative of Korean playwrights in Fall 2019. He is a member of I.W.P.

Dane CT Leasure is the founder and Executive Artistic Director of Rubber City Theatre, a professional theatre located in Akron, OH. Primarily a director, Dane has directed productions ranging from A Midsummer Night's Dream to Pippin. In recent years, Dane has turned to new works, particularly musicals in development, such as Heartbreakers in Hell and  Love in Reserve. His primary research areas are Shakespearean Adaptation and the intersection of regional theatre and theatre in higher education. He is a senior lecturer and area chair in Theatre Arts at the University of Akron. He holds a M.Litt and MFA from Mary Baldwin University in Shakespeare and Performance. Dane is a proud member of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Seung-A (Liz) Lee is a 4^th year PhD student. She is originally from Seoul, Republic of Korea. Her research interests include Shakespeare adaptation, theatre history and criticism, classical drama, sexuality, and gender.

Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Nasir Malekijoo is a filmmaker and theater artist, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Theatre and Film at BGSU. He completed his MFA studies at Bauhaus Universität Weimer, Germany. He is also a drama school graduate at IAU Central Tehran Branch. After graduation, he started to create a variety of plays with an eclectic approach toward “avant-garde theater.” As a writer, director, designer, and actor, he tries to portray a unified, monolithic world defined and developed by his own individual mindset. Malekijoo’s tendency toward visual arts has made him inclined to a particular type of practice called “visual dramaturgy.” His Dissertation investigates the post-dramatic theater genre and its origins such as happening arts and Fluxes during the neo-avantgarde movement. 

Website: http://nasirmalekijoo.info

Story Moosa is a doctoral candidate from Huntington, WV. She received her MFA in Acting from Long Island University Post in 2020, and her BFA in Acting from Marshall University in 2018. She has served as the Box Office Manager for the Wolfe Center and the College of Musical Arts since 2022. Story has taught such courses as “Performance in Life & on Stage” and “Acting Principles.” In Spring 2025, she will be teaching/developing the course “Creative Drama” through the framework of Drama-Based Pedagogy. During the Fall 2024 semester, Story has served as dramaturg for the mainstage production of Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Madison Ellis. In connection with the Department of Astronomy and Physics for their “Expanding Boundaries” series, Story and Sarah Hopson (A.D. for Silent Sky) will be giving a public lecture entitled "Domesticating the Universe: A Conversation between Silent Sky and the Legacy of Women's Work at The Harvard Observatory.”

Zahra Shirvani (she/her) holds a B.A. and M.A. in Acting and Directing from the University of Tehran, Iran, and is currently a first-year PhD student in Theatre at Bowling Green State University. Her research interests include gender and performance, feminist studies, the body in performance, critical theory, sociology, Iranian traditional and contemporary theatre, and Middle Eastern Studies.

Her academic research has been published in journals, including the Journal of Woman in Culture and Arts and the Journal of Fine Arts: Performing Arts and Music. Zahra's theatrical practice began in 2011 with her performance in Do-Be-Del (Hesitant) at the 29th Fajr International Theater Festival. She has also appeared in plays such as "Persistent Vegetative State", "Habib, Afsane, and Nader", "Upward Trend", and "Fake". In addition to her acting work, Zahra directed many performances at the university during her studies and contributed to various projects as a stage design assistant.

MJ is perky, sociable, and a little chaotic. He is very excited to be pursuing his Masters in Theatre at BGSU and hopes to pursue his PhD after that. He obtained a BA in Graphic Design and Theatre from Trinity Christain College in 2024. He loves participating in theatre just as much as he loves studying it. He's participated in over 30 theatre productions primarily through acting, directing, and playwriting, but has also dabbled in scenic design, house management, stage work, and more. He prides himself on obtaining a diverse theatre skillset and hopes to one day use those skills to lead a college theatre program. Some of his favorite subsets of theatre include farce, experimental, LGBTQ+ theatre, and absurdism. Much of his past work both in theatre and graphic design can be viewed on his website mjhuizenga.com - he'd love for you to check it out!

John Jordan is a 1st year M.A student and a 2024 graduate of Hillsdale College. His chief interests are directing, playwriting, and research. In 2024 he directed No One Will be Immune by David Mamet, and his notable undergraduate papers include “Everything you Have Goes: Hope, Sin, and Adaptation in The Humans” and “Beyond Mortal Sight: Pentheus’s False Truths in Euripides’ Bacchae.”

Gifty Nunana Tay is a master's student in Theatre at BGSU, holds a B. A in Theatre Studies from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana with a concentration in directing. She began her theatre journey with the National Theatre of Ghana and performed with Village Minds Production for 4 years. Gifty's passion for storytelling drives her to deepen her understanding of theatre pedagogy, history, and practice. She has participated in international theatre exchange programs, fostering transcultural dialogue. She is excited about serving as a graduate assistant in the department's costume shop.