Our faculty and staff wholeheartedly embrace their roles as teachers, scholars, artists, researchers, mentors, and practitioners. The fantastic things they do within our department are just the tip of the iceberg. We couldn't possibly cover it all, but below are a few highlights of their 2025 achievements!

Joanna Dee Das, Associate Professor of Dance​

• Released Faith, Family and Flag: Branson Entertainment and the Idea of America—a comprehensive history of the Branson entertainment industry, within the context of America’s long culture wars (October '25)
• Interviewed by NPR: Branson has a reputation. A new book explores what’s true — and what’s missed (November '25)
• Book Discussion at Left Bank Books: View the video (November '25)

Sabrina Doris, Costume Shop Manager

• First Hand for the Muny Season which included Bring it On, Come From Away, Evita, LaCage, Frozen, Dear Evan Hansen, and Jersey Boys.

Zachariah Ezer

• Awarded the Judith Champion Launch Commission from the Atlantic Theater Company (July '25)
• The Stones of Life included in La Mama's Experiments Reading Series (November '25)
• Named part of The Kilroys "Web 2025" (November '25)
• Check out more on Zach's website!

Kelly Ging, Administrative Coordinator III

• Received the 2025 Outstanding Staff Service Award from WashU Arts & Sciences
• Founding Company member with moSTLy Tap part of STL Rhythm Collaborative. Performed in The Pockets of the Big Easy (March '25) and moSTLy Holidays (December '25)
• Faculty for St. Louis Rhythm Fest (July '25)

Elinor Harrison, Lecturer in Dance 

• "Dune Alpha" selected at ACDA Reginal Conference to be shown at National College Dance Festival at the Kennedy Center
• Published two new scholarly articles: Neural mechanisms underlying synchronization of movement to musical cues in Parkinson disease and aging (March '25), and Personalized Auditory Rhythmic Cues to Optimize Gait in Older Adults and People With Parkinson Disease (July '25)
• Most recent news article, "We are hardwired to sing − and it’s good for us, too" published in The Conversation (December '25)

Robert Henke, ​Professor of Drama and Comparative Literature

Ron Himes, Henry E. Hampton, Jr. Artist-in-Residence

• Black Rep Named one of St. Louis Business' Top 500. Read the Q&A with Ron Himes (February '25)
• Featured on the Howlround Podcast: Committing to Black Experiences in Theatre with Ron Himes (September '25)
• Received AUDELCO Lifetime Achievement Award (November '25)

Elizabeth Hunter, Assistant Professor of Drama

• Published "Enveloping Worlds: Toward a Discourse of Immersive Performance"—a collection of essays that analyzes the phenomenon of immersive, participatory performance as it has developed in the US. (April '25)
• Released Acting the Part: Audience Participation in Performance—a framework for understanding audience participation in twenty-first century immersive theater (October '25)
• Honorable Mention for the Gerald Kahan Scholar's Prize from the American Society for Theatre Research for Theatre Journal article entitled "Augmented Reality and Theatre" (November '25)

David Marchant, ​Professor of Practice in Dance

• Received funding from the Nature and Health Alliance for new research project: "Off the Beaten Path: The Mindfulness of Walking Natural Terrain” (May '25)

Robert Mark Morgan, Teaching Professor of Drama

• Released the audiobook version of The Art of Scenic Design: A Practical Guide to the Creative Process, narrated by Rob himself (March '25)
• Received UIIN Future of Universities Award at the 2025 UIIN Conference in Amsterdam and featured on UIIN Podcast: Creativity as the heart of modern education at Washington University in St. Louis (June '25)
• Designing Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap | Gulfshore Playhouse, opening mid-January
• Check out more on Rob's website and The Creativity Call 

Erin Morris, Adjunct Dance Faculty 

• Traveled to New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Michigan to teach at various jazz dance workshops
• Taught and competed at the St. Louis Get Down international swing dance conference and was crowned invitational battle champion in lindy hop

Elaine Peña, Professor of Performing Arts, American Culture Studies, and Anthropology

Sean M. Savoie, Teaching Professor of Design-Technical Theater

• Gave TED Talk for TEDxStLouis: A well-placed light (September '25)
• Chosen to speak about teaching innovations that deliver a transformational learning experience for the inaugural A&S Teaching Innovation Showcase (November '25)
• Lighting Designer for Illuminated Echoes at COCA: Created suspended light sculpture that shifts throughout the performance, giving each chapter its own distinct feel (December '25)