Acting

Major

BFA

Meet Our Faculty

Department Chair

Liam Joynt
Lecturer of Acting
Co-Chair of Acting
- MFA, Rutgers University
- BA Union College
liam.joynt@purchase.edu
Maggie Surovell
Assistant Professor of Acting
Co-Chair of Acting
- MFA, University of
- BA, Temple University
margret.surovell@purchase.edu

Faculty

Jill Echo

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)
- BFA, MFA, SUNY Purchase
jill.echo@purchase.edu
Laura Esposito

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)
- MFA, Yale University
- BFA, New York University
laura.esposito@purchase.edu
Brandalyn Fulton

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)
- BA, University of Michigan
brandalyn.fulton@purchase.edu
Le’Asha Julius

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)

BFA, State University of New York, SUNY Purchase

leasha.julius@purchase.edu
Mitchell McCoy

Lecturer in Acting (Part-time)
- BFA, New York University
mitchell.mccoy@purchase.edu
Scott McCrea

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)
- MFA, Columbia University
- BA, Duke University
scott.mccrea@purchase.edu
Kate Murray

Lecturer, Acting (Part-time)
Gregory Perri

Lecturer, Acting (Part-time)
- MFA Acting, Rutgers University
- BA History, BA Theater, Binghamton University
gregory.perri@purchase.edu
Sarah Petersiel

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)
- BA, Brown University
sarah.petersiel@purchase.edu
Stephanie Prugh

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)
- PhD in Theatre, University of Colorado, Boulder
- MA, University of Colorado, Boulder
- BA, University of Colorado, Denver
stephanie.prugh@purchase.edu
Susan Shopmaker

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)
- BA, Hamilton College
susan.shopmaker@purchase.edu
Aya Tucker

Lecturer, Acting (Part-time)
- MFA in Lecoq-Based Actor Created Theatre from Naropa University (hosted at London International School of Performing Arts, London, UK)
- BA in Languages from International Christian University (Tokyo, Japan)
aya.tucker@purchase.edu
Cezar Williams

Lecturer of Theatre and Performance (Part-time)

Director of New Plays Now

BS, New York University

cezar.williams@purchase.edu
Rosalyn Coleman Williams

Lecturer of Acting (Part-time)
- MFA, Yale School of Drama
- BFA, Howard University
rosalyn.williams@purchase.edu

Contributing Faculty

David Recca

Lecturer

Chorus Director
- MusB, Performers Certificate, SUNY Purchase
- MM, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester
- MMA, Yale University
- DMA, Yale University
david.recca@purchase.edu
Jack Tamburri

Lecturer of Theatre Arts
jack.tamburri@purchase.edu
Cezar Williams

Lecturer of Theatre and Performance

Director of New Plays Now

BS, New York University

cezar.williams@purchase.edu

Faculty Emeriti

David Bassuk
Professor Emeritus of Acting
- BA, SUNY Purchase
- MFA, Southern Methodist University
david.bassuk@purchase.edu
Leigh Dillon
Associate Professor Emerita of Theatre Arts (Acting)
- BFA, SUNY Purchase
Eulalie Noble
Associate Professor Emerita of Theatre Arts (Acting)
- Neighborhood Playhouse, School of the Theatre, and American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York
- studied with Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, Elia Kazan, Robert Lewis, and Martha Graham
Pamela Prather
Associate Professor Emerita of Acting
- BA, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
- MFA, University of California, Los Angeles
pamela.prather@purchase.edu

In Memoriam

Professor A. Dean Irby, 1947-2026

The Conservatory of Theatre Arts remembers BFA Acting Professor A. Dean Irby, who for more than three decades served as a guiding force for our students and community. A beloved teacher and standard-bearer, he demanded discipline, truth, and emotional honesty while believing deeply in the potential of every artist he encountered. His legacy endures in the countless lives he shaped, and in the work we continue together.