Tony Pearson is the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at GCSU. He received his BA in a Drama/Theatre Concentration from Mercer University and his MFA in Theatre from the University of Georgia. He brings over twenty-five years of experience to the classroom and has designed well over a hundred plays in the region. As a teacher, he seeks to create an environment where students can recognize their innate sense of creativity and the transformative power it holds.
Natalie King was born in Pell City, Alabama and studied as a teenager at the Alabama School of Fine Arts under the direction of Madame Sonia Arova. While at ASFA, she performed corps de ballet roles in Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, La Bayadere, and Swan Lake, as well as,attended Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensives. Upon graduation, she attended Sweet Briar College where she earned a Bachelor of Art in Dance, Elementary Education Certification K-6 and Dance Education Certification K-12. Professors Mark and Ella Magruder afforded her opportunities to train with artists, such as, David Dorfman, Dan Froot, Meredith Monk, Lynn Neuman, Sarah Skaggs, Doug Varone, and Petrus Bosman.
Mrs. King was then accepted into Arizona State University Graduate Dance Program where she coordinated the university’s community dance program, Moving Inventors, and was selected to teach major and non-major courses including, Dance for the Regular Education Classroom and Modern Dance Technique. In partnership with Arizona State University alumni Erica Neilson, she co-designed content for a web based E-book to enhance the scholarship of the online dance community and provide dance pedagogists with technology based solutions for content delivery. She has presented her curricula for national organizations, including Congress on Research in Dance, Popular Culture Association and National Dance Education Organization. Previously, Mrs. King taught dance for seven years in an inner city high school located in Phoenix, Arizona. There she fulfilled many roles as the dance director, professional learning community facilitator, instructional leader for the performing arts department and summer arts program director. Most recently, she has come full circle back into collegiate academia as the newest dance instructor within Georgia College State University’s Dance Minor Program where she teaches dance technique and theory courses.
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Beate Czogalla
Professor of Lighting and Stage Management, Production Manager
Beate M. Czogalla is delighted to be a part of the Department of Theatre at Georgia College as the Assistant Professor in Theatre Design since the Fall of 2000. She has a BA and MA degree in Theatre from Giessen University (Germany) and an MFA degree in Scenography and Lighting Design from Virginia Tech. Her credits at GC include A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Glass Menagerie, The Wild Duck, Quilters, The Beggar's Opera, On The Verge, Our Town, Julius Caesar, The Dining Room, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Taming Of The Shrew, An Evening of Pinter, Pippin and The Illusion.
Ms. Czogalla has designed internationally with credits at theatres in Giessen, Frankfurt, Bad Hersfeld and Stuttgart, Germany; Wroclaw and Warsaw, Poland; Lige, Belgium; Chepstow, Wales, Great Britain; Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, and in the United States, and she is a founding member of the monumental Canadian outdoor theatre production, And Wolf Shall Inherit The Moon, mounted in Haliburton, Ontario every August. Since the Fall of 2000 she has worked as a Scenographer and Lighting Designer at The Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, South Carolina, and at 7 Stages in Atlanta, and since the summer of 2002 she has designed three shows per year for the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in Allentown/ Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
She was the Resident Lighting Designer for the New Harmony Theatre from 1990 until 1997. Prior to that she worked at Actors Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky, The Road Company in Johnson City, Tennessee, and Playhouse 460 and the Studio Theatre in Blacksburg, Virginia. She has done concert and architectural lighting design and consulting for a variety of clients and has served as the Lighting Supervisor for the Lincoln Amphitheatre at Lincoln State Park, Indiana, from 1995 until 2000. As an active member of NASA's Teacher in Space/ Space Education Program she serves as a community volunteer conducting workshops for children and adults of all ages, and in late 2000 she was appointed as a Solar System Ambassador by JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/ NASA), a position she plans to hold for many more years. She is also a certified Advanced Open Water Diver and a passionate hiker and kite builder.
PhD, Performance Studies, Speech Communication, Southern Illinois University
Biography
Dr. Amy Pinney received her MA in Theatre from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and her PhD in Performance Studies from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. She teaches Acting II, III, and IV, as well as Directing and Theatre History. Dr. Pinney has published essays in Theatre Topics, Qualitative Inquiry, and Theatre Annual: A Journal of Performance Studies. Her research interests include Performance Ethnography; Women in Performance History; and Performance Pedagogy.
Dr. Pinney is currently active in multiple academic organizations. GC productions include Coyote Point,Eurydice, RENT, To Kill a Mockingbird and The 1940's Radio Hour.
Ryan P. Jones received his BFA in Technical Theatre from Southeast Missouri State University, emphasizing in Stage Management & Costume Technology. He received his MFA in Stage Management from Wayne State University in 2017. Ryan has worked across the country as a costumer and stage manager. Some of his favorite shows he has worked on were Grease (SEMO), Beauty and the Beast(Theatre West), Inspecting Carol (Hilberry Repertory Theatre) and Meet Me in St. Louis (Ozark Actor’s Theatre). He has also worked on many original productions, including the original Scenic Design for Murphy’s Law (SEMO) and stage management for Wayne State University’s Adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
Along with his work in theatre, Ryan has a strong background in dance and music. Areas of study outside of theatre include the history of the Ritual and Symbolism of the Roman Rite, Sacred Music, and the Philosophy of Art.
MFA, Scenic Design, Virginia Commonwealth University
Biography
Phil received his BA in Theatre from James Madison University and his MFA in Theatre (Scenic Design and Theatre Technology) from Virginia Commonwealth University. Before coming back to academia, Phil worked professionally in several theatres as a Props Carpenter, Scenic Carpenter, Scenic Painter, Charge Artist, Designer, Asst. Technical Director, Technical Director, and Production Manager. He has designed several shows over the years and has been nominated for several awards. He won the Suzi Bass Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for his work on Aurora Theatre’s production of “Les Misérables”. Most recently, Phil was the Production Manager for the Department of Theatre and Dance at Gonzaga University.
Other experience includes Event Management (Trade Shows, Exhibits, Special Events, Parades, Inaugurations) for a large scale special event company in DC. He is looking forward to bringing his passion for theatre and productions to the classrooms here in Milledgeville.
BFA in Dance and a minor in Anthropology from the University of Georgia
Biography
Meg Gourley is a dance artist, choreographer, and educator whose work bridges performance, research, and community engagement. Recently residing in Atlanta and Milwaukee, she holds an MFA in Dance from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a BFA in Dance and a minor in Anthropology from the University of Georgia, along with K–12 Dance Certification. She has performed with Staibdance, Atlanta Dance Collective, Valleto Dance, Monica Hogan Danceworks, Patsy Collins, Emma Morris, and Decatur City Dance. Gourley was a company member with Kit Modus for seven seasons under the direction of Jillian Mitchell, performing works by Mitchell as well as guest choreographers including Christian Denise, Marco Palomino, Noelle Kayser, Annalee Traylor, and more.
As a choreographer, her work has been presented in Atlanta, the Northeast, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and New York. Grounded in feminist and historical inquiry, Gourley’s choreographic research investigates spectatorship, proximity, and power within the dancing body. In 2025, she premiered her evening-length work In light of these regrets in Atlanta. Her collaborative projects include works with Catherine Messina presented in the Northeast and Atlanta area, and Tethered Together with Jordan Young and Andre Lumpkin, shown at Underground Atlanta, Fly On A Wall’s Excuse The Art, and the Goat Farm. She has received commissions from Agnes Scott College, Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, Peach State Opera, Emory University, and the University of Georgia, where she served as Alumni in Residence in Spring 2026.
Meg’s educational praxis centers contemporary forms, improvisation, and community building from early childhood to collegiate dancers. She worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, where she was an Osher Lifelong Learning Fellow. Meg is a touring audition faculty member with the Joffrey Ballet School and Adjunct Faculty at Reinhardt University. She is thrilled to be joining GCSU as a Lecturer of Dance!
Jennifer Gheesling serves as Office Coordinator for the Department of Theatre & Dance. In this role, Jennifer is responsible for accounts payable/receivable, contracts, and purchasing for the department. Jennifer also acts as Box Office Manager and oversees student assistantships as well as supporting recruitment efforts and department marketing. She has many years of experience in the not-for-profit management field. She is a theatre enthusiast and is dedicated to supporting the incredible faculty and students. You can find her between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm in her office, but she spends her non-work hours with her husband, Hunter, and their four children. In her downtime, you can catch her indulging in dark chocolate, unwinding watching old Judge Judy episodes or diving into a gripping true crime podcast and if you play some 80’s and 90’s music, she’ll sing along like there’s no tomorrow.
BFA, Theatre - Performance emphasis, Valdosta State University, 2009
MA, Theatre Education, Emerson College, 2018
MFA, Directing and Playwriting, Randolph College, Expected 2027
Biography
J. R. Shuman is thrilled to be stepping into the role of Technical Director for the Department of Theatre and Dance at Georgia College & State University. Bringing twenty years of professional theatrical experience across repertory, touring, and local non-profit companies, he balances artistic vision with practical execution. Prior to joining GCSU, J.R. served for five years as the Director of the Theatre Department at Oak Hill Middle School in Milledgeville. During his tenure, he conceptualized and executed scenic designs for full-scale productions while instructing students in foundational carpentry and backstage operations. A dedicated member of the local arts community, he also serves on the board of Milledgeville Theatre Collective as the Production Manager and Director-at-large. J.R. holds an MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College and a BFA in Theatre Arts from Valdosta State University. He is currently pursuing an MFA in Directing and Playwriting from Randolph College. When he is not in the scene shop or working on his master's degree, J.R. enjoys studying the Basque language, playing video games with his wife and children, and watching obscure sports.
MFA, Costume Design & Technology, University of Alabama
Biography
Cathleen came to Georgia College in the fall of 2017 from Virginia where she had been working at her alma mater Radford University as their costume shop manager. She graduated from RU in 2011 with a B.S. in Theatre and went on to attend graduate school at The University of Alabama. Cathleen earned her MFA in Costume Design and Production in spring of 2014.
She enjoys working as a freelance costume designer as well as an educator and has worked for various professional theatre companies including The Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp, and Aurora Theatre. This past spring Cathleen had the opportunity to design The Little Prince for Holy Innocence Episcopal School in Atlanta. Cathleen loves all elements of the costuming and enjoys learning new techniques and expanding her knowledge in the industry. She enjoys working on sewing projects at home for friends and family as well as herself. She and her husband Andrew live in Covington, GA with their dog Dixie and cat Carpenter.
