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.

Haley Anissa Alvarez (she/her) is a first-generation Ph.D. student from Pharr, Texas completing her 1^st 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. Additionally, she currently teaches multiple sections of THFM 2150: Exploring Cultural Diversity Through Performance!

She received her B.A in theatre from Miami University of Ohio with concentrations in performance and directing. She went on to study the Michael Chekhov technique at the Great Lakes Chekhov Consortium and has spent the last 6 years teaching, acting and directing in the Cleveland area. Madison is a fierce advocate for uncovering diminished stories, often incorporating many aspects of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed in her teaching and rehearsal process.

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 a 1st year Ph.D. student. He is the founder and Executive Artistic Director of Rubber City Theatre. 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. He is an associate lecturer 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.

Nasir Malekijoo is a third-year Ph.D. student 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 towards “avant-garde theater.” As a writer, director, set and costume designer, and actor, he tries to portray a unified, monolithic world defined and developed by his own individual mindset. His tendency to visual arts has made Malekijoo inclined to a particular type of practice called “visual dramaturgy.” His research interests include avant-garde and post-dramatic theater, conceptual art, and performance in the Twenty-First century.

Website: http://nasirmalekijoo.info

Story Moosa (she/her) is a 2^nd year Ph.D. student 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 currently serves as the Box Office Manager for the Wolfe Center and the College of Musical Arts, as well as teaching THFM 2020: Performance in Life & on Stage. This year, she will be assistant directing the Mainstage Production of She Kills Monsters (Fall 2022) and will be directing the Mainstage Production of Electra (Spring 2023). She also serves as the current President of GUSTO (Graduate Student Theatre Organization). 

Sarah Hopson (she/her) is a 1st year M.A. student. Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Sarah received her B.A. in Theatre and Cinema Performance from Asbury University in 2020. 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. She currently serves in the costume shop and as one of the theatre and film department's social media and publicity graduate assistants. She has received various awards in directing and production design, and an Irene Ryan nomination at the 2019 KCACTF Southeastern Conference for her performance in MacBeth.

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 first-generation Ghanaian master's student in Theatre at BGSU, with a B. A in Theatre Studies from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She began her theatre journey with the National Theatre of Ghana and performed with Village Minds Production. 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. Recognized for her talent, she aims to bridge the gap in theatre education in Ghana.