Graduate Students in Residence

Chris Plonka (he/him/his) was born and raised in Massachusetts and though his professional journey has taken him away from there, you can still find him rooting for all of Boston sports as a reminder of home. Chris received a BA in Arts Management from Stonehill College as well as an MFA in Acting from Indiana University - Bloomington.

As a scholar and an artist, he is interested in the exploration of an actor’s movement, studying a wide variety of movement techniques. In the past few years, Chris has leaned into this interest through his work as a fight choreographer and studying with the Society of American Fight Directors. Chris also has extensive experience as an actor and director stretching back 15 years. 

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.

Zahra Shirvani Saadatabadi (she/her/hers) is a Ph.D. student in Theatre at Bowling Green State University. She earned her B.A. and M.A. in Acting and Directing from the University of Tehran, Iran. Her research interests include gender and performance, Women’s and Gender Studies, embodiment in performance, critical theory, and contemporary Iranian performance. Since 2011, she has been active as both an actor and director, contributing to numerous productions at the University of Tehran. Her scholarly work has been published in journals including Journal of Woman in Culture and ArtsandJournal of Fine Arts: Performing Arts and Music. She currently teaches THEA 2020: Performance in Life and Onstage and recently served as Assistant Director for Swimming in the Shallows, directed by Dr. Lesa Lockford.

Christopher James Smith holds a BFA in Acting from Otterbein University and is a second year MA Theatre student at BGSU. His interests as a theatre practitioner include working in devising ensembles, creating new works, theatre in found spaces, and staging nondramatic texts. He has worked as an actor and director in professional and collegiate settings.