Current Graduate Students
Meet some of our current Graduate Students and learn about their areas of research.
Reyna Álvarez
Pronouns: she/her
MFA Theatre Practice
Reyna Álvarez is a theatre artist born in Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. Reyna identifies as muxe, an indigenous Zapotec identity that does not conform to gender binarism. She is currently in her second year of the MFA Theatre Practice program, researching gender, sexual identity and ethnicity. She is also focused on the process of reconciliation and acceptance of both her femininity and indigeneity.
Reyna Álvarez, orgullosamente muxe de Tehuantepec para el mundo | Aristegui Noticias
Aksam Alyousef
Pronouns: he/him
PhD Performance Studies
Aksam Alyousef is a seasoned playwright, director, and producer with extensive experience in both theatre and television. He holds an MA in Drama from the University of Alberta and is currently pursuing his PhD in Drama at the same institution. A graduate of the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus (1994), Alyousef launched his career as an assistant professor and journalist, contributing to the academic and cultural landscape in Syria.
In 2001, he relocated to Qatar, where he worked as a drama teacher before joining Al Jazeera Children’s Channel as a scriptwriter and producer, shaping content for a new generation of viewers. After moving to Canada in 2016, Alyousef continued to build his reputation as a theatre creator. Since then, he has written and directed many new plays, including Honey and Nuts, Souls, Hagar, F.O.B., and Adeeb. Notably, Adeeb was honoured as Best Play by the Arab Theatre Institution in 2022.
Emily Marisabel Boyle
Pronouns: she/her
MFA Directing
Emily is a professional Alberta-based theatre artist whose work is governed by the ethics of love - the belief that everyone is connected, that other people’s well-being enhances your own, and that every person is innately deserving of being treated with care, commitment, knowledge, respect, and trust. Emily has directed for multiple theatres across Canada, produced several theatre productions for multiple Alberta-based theatre companies, and is also the founder and artistic director of Light in the Dark Theatre, a company dedicated to telling stories of hope and healing. Emily is the proud recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award which honored her work with Light in the Dark Theatre and her practice of utilizing live theatre to inspire hope, incite positive change and build community. Emily is an MFA Directing Candidate at the University of Alberta and holds an Honours BA in Theatre from York University. When Emily is not working in theatre, you will find her working as a professional fine art and event photographer.
Chelsea Payne Evason
Pronouns: she/her
MFA Design
Chelsea is an MFA design student here at the University of Alberta, in her 1st year after successfully completing her qualifying year. Chelsea holds both a Bachelor of Arts Theatre, and a Bachelor of Arts Music Studies degree presented by the University of Guelph, ON.
Originally from Orangeville, Ontario. Her work includes Lighting assistant for War of Worlds by Orson Welles, Lighting Designer, and Co-crew head for The Remarkable Flight of Marnie McPhee by Daniel Karassik, Master Electrician, Lighting Designer for Taunton House by Megan Van Der Merwe. As well as the Master Electrician and Lighting Designer of Plaything, an Opera done in collaboration with Musique 3 Femme, as well as, many more. She has also worked with music ensembles for a number of years to achieve effective sound staging of orchestral performances, competing nationally with a classical bands receiving high silver, gold, and bronze medals.
Beshel Francis
Pronouns: he/him
MFA Theatre Practice
Beshel is currently in his last year of the MFA degree in Theatre Practice with a specialization in Community-Based Theatre at the University of Alberta. He is the current President of the Graduate Drama Students’ Society in the Department of Drama. He is an Ebonylife Creative Academy-trained screen actor and an alumnus of Del-York Creative Academy. Holding a B.A. in Theatre and Film Studies, he is an accomplished actor, choreographer, singer, voiceover artiste, and community theatre practitioner. With over a decade of experience in the theatre and film industry and community development, Beshel has graced the stage in numerous productions and has received several awards for his performances.
He is the Artistic Director of the Ribbon Rouge Foundation, where he recently completed their inaugural Jabulani Arts Festival. This festival aimed to empower and provide a platform for underrepresented communities, specifically African, Caribbean, and Black artists in Edmonton through arts. Beshel is a committed and reliable individual with a zeal and drive to evoke social change. His passion for the arts and dedication to community empowerment reflect his ongoing contributions to both the cultural and social fabric of his community.
Photo credit: Ameley Quaye
Roman Groß
Pronouns: he/him
MFA Directing
Roman Groß is a first-year exchange MFA Directing candidate from the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria. Since 2019, he has worked as a directing intern, assistant stage director, and evening performance director for international opera and theater productions in Germany, Austria, and France, including at the Bavarian State Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Théâtre national de l’Opéra Comique in Paris, and as a guest at the Burgtheater in Vienna. He has worked alongside directors such as Frank Castorf, Barrie Kosky, Barbara Frey, Magdalena Fuchsberger, and Valérie Lesort. Since 2021, he has been the personal assistant to stage director and multimedia artist Martin Andersson. In 2024, he made his directorial debut with Brecht’s Threepenny Opera at the Municipal Theatre of Landsberg am Lech, Germany. In a creative collaboration with his brother, Severin Gross, a Vienna-based techno DJ (Silentsevir), he frequently experiments with various soundscapes on stage. His master's thesis focuses on the frescoes of the 'Narrentreppe' at Trausnitz Castle in Bavaria.
Emilia Fox Hillyer
Pronouns: she/her
MFA Theatre Practice
Emilia Fox Hillyer is a MFA Theatre Practice candidate. From Massachusett and Wampanoag land, colonially known as Boston, Massachusetts, she is a first-generation settler on Treaty 6 territory. She is a performer, puppeteer, Action Theatre practitioner, educator, trumpet player, and creator of two solo works: “NAVIGATING DEATH ANXIETY: a how-to guide!” and “Eulogy for Jack Cole.” Her filmed puppetry collaborations with the 13 Pratt Theatre Co were featured on Great Small Works’ International Toy Festival, and on public access television in Philadelphia and Belmont, Massachusetts. She is a proud founding member of the Fork & Shoe Theatre Cooperative and musical groups pUbeRtykiDs and The Goddamn Brass Band. Her research interests include using Cheap Art, collective music making, and physical improvisation in Applied Theatre for queer youth.
Lyudmyla Honcharova
Pronouns: she/her
PhD Performance Studies
Lyudmyla Honcharova performer, theatre-maker from Ukraine that works internationally and in different styles and genres. In her works, she strives to break boundaries and explores new forms and means of theatre expressiveness. She is a performer at Subpoetic International. Lyudmyla is a co-founder of the Public Organization Neoteric Institute of Acting, Lviv, Ukraine. Also, she is researcher and actor training instructor. Her last research project was in Sri Lanka where she explored the Sri Lankan Martial Art Angampora and actor training. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Performance Studies at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on South Asian Martial Arts and actor training methodologies. Lyudmyla received her MA in Acting Degree from Institute of the Arts Barcelona (Liverpool John Moores University) and MPhil Degree from University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo. Also, she has BA in Acting Degree from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine.
Sarah Jackson
Pronouns: she/her
PhD Performance Studies
Sarah Jackson is a PhD student in the second year of her Performance Studies program at the University of Alberta, and the recipient of a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship. Her research encompasses visual culture, gender and performance, burlesque, archival practices, and feminist theory. She is a practicing designer with a master’s degree in visual design and an award-winning and internationally acclaimed burlesque performer. Her PhD research investigates often-overlooked and discarded performative moments of women’s stage acts in the music-halls of London. Specifically, she will be exploring British illustrator Dudley Hardy’s Gaiety Girl posters (ca.1893-1899) through a post-structural semiotic analysis of archival resources, historiographical discourse, and contemporary burlesque performance, drawing on feminist theory throughout.
In 2024, Sarah won three performance awards from the Burlesque Hall of Fame. A performer, choreographer, researcher, and producer—as well as a visual designer and illustrator—Sarah thrives in the arena of live theatrical cabaret creation. Her most recent creation is The Two Coupe Society.
Photo credit: Brendan Roy Photography
Zhuohao Li
Pronouns: she/her
PhD Performance Studies
Zhuohao Li is a researcher on ink art and dance. She is currently pursuing her PhD in performance and theatre studies in the Department of Drama at the University of Alberta. Her doctoral research investigates the saturation of Lyricism in Chinese calligraphy and contemporary dance in terms of performers’ training methods, choreography, and mise en scène. Under the umbrella of Lyric Aesthetics, she is exploring the interconnectedness between ideogram writing, emotion, and choreographic score in dance. She is also a dramaturg, a dancer, a calligraphy practitioner, and a Chinese-English translator.
Ken Matthews
Pronouns: he/they
MFA Design
Ken Matthews is a theatrical designer originating from Red Deer Alberta. They completed their BFA in theatre design in Victoria, BC, before coming to UofA for their MFA in Production Design. As a theatre artist, Ken has had the opportunity to design for the Phoenix Theatre’s productions of Spring Awakening (Set) and Vinegar Tom (lights), the Freewill Shakespeare festivals 2023 productions of Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night (lights), Shadow theatres 2024 production of Tiny Beautiful Things (lights), as well as various productions at the university of Alberta. They are also a proud member of the Associated Designers of Canada, and IATSE 210. His research aligns more in the realm of how food intersects within theatrical productions, and how impactful of a roll food can play within a production.
Oghenevwede Oturuhoyi
MA Drama
Vwede is a Nigerian-born Theatre Artist, Film Maker, and Singer. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts from Nigeria. He is a second-year MA student in the Department of Drama at the University of Alberta. He is interested in Feminist Theatre, Feminism, and Gender-based Violence.
Abigail ‘Ameley’ Quaye
Pronouns: she/her
PhD Performance Studies
Abigail Ameley Quaye is a Ghanaian Theatre Artist nurtured by her grandmother in a town called Tema. Her first degree was at the School of Performing Arts in the University of Ghana with a major in Theatre Arts and a minor in Music.
In 2015, Ameley developed an affinity to unconventional writing methodologies such as Automatic writing. She pursued an MFA in the same university where she conducted research on Automatic Writing and unconventional writing methodologies. In September 2016, she came to University of Guelph for an exchange program where she had the rare opportunity of being mentored by playwright Judy Thompson. Ameley believes in the creative fluidity and leverage that plays lend to exploring stereotypes and experimenting with methods of social change through dialogue. Thus, her creativity leans towards enhancing the effectiveness of creative works in challenging status-quo, social reforms and enhancing positive political action. Questions surrounding the effectiveness of creativity led her to pursue another master’s degree in Gender and Social Justice in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department here at University of Alberta with a research focus on decolonised data representation methodologies.
She is currently a PhD student in Performance Studies in the Drama Department. She is being supervised and mentored by Prof. Stefano Muneroni. Her current research focus is on Women and negotiated performance spaces through the lens of postcolonial resistance. She locates her works within Afrocentric paradigms, indigenous philosophies and pedagogies, postcolonial politics, and decolonial thoughts.
Photo credit: Joseph Livingstone Koduah
Giulia Romano
Pronouns: she/her
MFA Directing
Director Giulia Romano (she/her) is a performer, creator, writer, and educator. Currently based in amiskwacîwâskahikan (colonially known as Edmonton), Giulia is a MFA Directing Candidate at the University of Alberta, and is also a graduate of their BA/BEd Drama Education Degree Program.
She is an impassioned theatre maker, with a love for devised, movement-based, collaborative theatre productions, and classical text. Her directing endeavours primarily revolve around new works, showcasing her commitment to innovation and creativity. Outside of directing, she actively engages in theater administration, collaborating with organizations like Theatre Network, Found Festival, Opera NUOVA, and ABBEDAM Productions.
Brandon Shalansky
Pronouns: he/him
PhD Performance Studies
Brandon is a theatre, film, and media researcher specializing in horror studies and metamodernism. He is currently working on his PhD at the University of Alberta, studying the intersections of horror and performance. He is also a working playwright, actor, director, and dramaturg.
Valentine Ukoh
Pronouns: he/him
MA Drama
Valentine Ukoh (he/him) is a 2nd year MA Drama student at the University of Alberta. He is a professional actor, director, and producer for radio, film, and television
audiences.
He's written quite a number of research works and papers, one of which is "From Script to Screen: The Functions of a Director," among others. His teaching interests revolve around Media and Mass Communication, while his main research interest centers on the functionality of Theatre for Development as a Tool for Change in the Community.
Since 2014 till date, Valentine runs and manages a professional Theatre Company known as Vally Art Kingdom, with over 10 shows to his credit in Nigeria and Canada.
The multiple award-winning director is a creative and highly skilled content creator who also works with students and academics to turn their brilliant ideas into exceptional performances.
Alissa Watson
Pronouns: she/her
MFA Directing
Alissa Watson is an adventurous prairie artist, with a passion for physical theatre, clown, and satire in performance. Born and raised on Treaty 1 Territory, Alissa has performed on Winnipeg’s most prominent stages including the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, and Manitoba Theatre for Young People. She is a founding member of the clown duo, The Red Nose Diaries, and Winnipeg's all-female bouffon ensemble, The Talentless Lumps. Alissa owes much of her clown creativity to comedy greats John Turner and Deanna Fleysher with whom she has spent many summers studying. Alissa is the proud recipient of the Brandon University Distinguished Young Alumni Award and most recently, a Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. In the summer you can find her at music festivals singing and playing the washboard with the sweet and cheeky, Fu Fu Chi Chi Choir. She is currently in her second year of the MFA in Directing program at the University of Alberta.