Guest Artists

Throughout its history, many guest artists who have come specifically to discuss theatre, directing, lead workshops in areas of design and acting, and perform for our students have blessed the Theatre & Communication Arts Department with visits. The following is a sampling of the many artists we have been grateful and fortunate to host:

Beth Henley, Playwright, Crimes of the Heart, The Miss Firecracker Contest, Abundance.

Arthur Seidelman, Film & Stage Director (Whittier Alumnus).

ACTER, Troupe of Royal Shakespeare Company Actors Featuring Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: Next Generation, X-Men Trilogy).

Annette Bening, Actress & Academy Award Nominee (Being Julia & American Beauty).

Shashir Kurup, Performer.

Rick Cluchey, Actor/Director of the San Quentin Drama Workshop (twice).

Cameron de Victor, Stage Combat.

Horton Foote, Playwright (Pulitzer Prize for The Young Man from Atlanta and Academy Award Winner for the screenplays of Tender Mercies, To Kill A Mockingbird).

Peri Gilpin, Actress (Frasier).

Keith Hitchcock, Stage Combat, Improvisation.

Mary Heilman, long-time scenic artist at South Coast Repertory and head of the MFA program in scene painting and stage properties at the California Institute of the Arts.

Tina Howe, Playwright (Approaching Zanzibar, Museum, The Art of Dining, Painting Churches).

Barbara Kinghorn, Actress and Author.

Craig Lucas, Playwright (Reckless, Orpheus in Love, Missing Persons).

Josh Machamer, Guest Director, Assistant Professor Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Whittier Alumnus).

Karen Maness (Whittier Alumnus), scenic artist at South Coast Repertory Theatre (and now at the University of Texas Performing Arts Center).

Jarmil Maupin, Sound Designer and Emmy Award-Winning Sound Editor.
John Murphy, Scenic Designer.

Joe Olivieri, Actor and UCLA Associate Professor of Theatre, and author of “Shakespeare without Fear: A User-Friendly Guide to Acting Shakespeare.”

Ron Pardini (Whittier Alumnus) and Steve Cotroneo, stage properties artisans for theatre, film and television, and owners of CIFX (Cinema Illusions Effects) in Santa Fe Springs.

Morgan Rusler, Actor (Whittier Alumnus).

Mitchell Ryan, Actor.

Chris Van Winkle, painter and president of the National Watercolor Society.

Cameron Watson, Actor.