Southeastern Theatre Program Faculty
Steven Schepker - Professor of Theatre Design and Technical Directing
Steve Schepker is a Professor of Theatre for Southeastern Louisiana
University, where he is also Director of Theatre. In addition to overseeing
scenic and lighting design for all Theatre Department productions, Professor
Schepker's classroom teaching includes Introduction to Theatre, Stagecraft,
Scenic Design, Lighting Design and Play Production courses.
Additionally, he regularly designs scenery for SLU's Opera/Music Theatre Workshop productions. Professor Schepker's work outside of SLU includes scenery and lighting design for Pensacola Opera, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Shreveport Opera, Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, University of Missouri - Columbia and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Most recently, he has designed television sets for WYES and WLAE in New Orleans and the Southeastern Channel.
At Southeastern, he was awarded the Southeastern Louisiana University President's Award for Artistic Excellence. Steve has also received multiple American College Theatre Festival Excellence in Design Awards for both scenery and lighting. Professor Schepker holds an MFA in Scenic Design and Lighting Design from Western Illinois University and a BS in Theatre and Mass Communication from Lindenwood University.
Contact:
Office: DVIC 127
Phone: (985)549-3699
E-Mail: sschepker@selu.edu
James Winter - Assistant Professor of Acting and Directing
Jim Winter teaches Acting and Theatre History for Southeastern Theatre. He is also a professional actor, director, playwright, and producer. Jim also serves as faculty advisor for Southeastern's chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the national theatre honorary. He is also the creator of Southeastern's annual Theatre Study Abroad program in London, England.
Jim is the author of three theatre textbooks, including the recently published Act One; Scene One: An Actor's Workbook. The royalties from these textbook sales help fund the James Winter Endowed Theatre Scholarship and The Hymel Falgoust, Jr Scholarship in Technical Theatre. In 2011, Jim was awarded The President's Award for Excellence in Artistic Achievement.
As an actor, Jim has performed at Madison Square Garden, 13th Street Repertory Theatre, The Hudson Guild, The Kennedy Center, Cleveland Public Theatre, The People's Republic of China and Edinburgh, Scotland. Four of Jim's plays have been published, including Dead Flowers, which was an alternate to the regional festival for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. His plays have been produced in New York, Cleveland, Texas, Louisiana and Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2010, Jim directed the Southeastern Theatre production of the original play, Parking Lot Babies, which won seven national commendations for excellence.
Jim is a founding member of the award-winning InSideOut production company in New Orleans. He is the former Vice Chair of Region VI (Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico) for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. In addition to his full-time duties at Southeastern, Jim is the head of graduate playwriting for the University of New Orleans distance learning program. Jim holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Baldwin-Wallace College.
Contact:
Office: DVIC 128
Phone: (985)549-3546
E-mail: James.Winter@selu.edu
Chad Winters - Instructor of Acting and Directing
Chad Winters is an Instructor of Theatre at Southeastern Louisiana University, where
he teaches Introduction to Theatre, Acting, Directing, and Children's Theatre. Among
his professional credits, he has worked for The New Globe Theatre, Great Lakes Theatre
Festival, Cain Park, The Dobama Theatre, and Theatre Studio. He studied Theatre at
Baldwin-Wallace College, where he received his B.A. in Theatre. Chad holds a Masters
of Fine Arts in Directing from The Actors Studio Drama School.
He is a proud associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
and Theatre Communications Group (TCG). Chad has also been recognized by the American
College Theatre Festival for Excellence in Directing and Hosting. He is a strong advocate
of developing new plays for the theatre. At Southeastern he has directed two original
works, Dead Flowers and Only in Louisiana: The Not-Quite-True Story of the West Florida Revolt, to continue that mission.
In New York City he has helped develop new works such as Soup & Quackers, Crying for Masha, and The Godling. He also directed Tent City an original play written by a Southeastern student. Chad has directed God, Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration, The Servant of Two Masters, Fences, Down the Road, All My Sons and 'Night Mother for Southeastern Louisiana University. He also works as an actor in the Hollywood
South region where he most recently worked on Nothing to Fear.
Contact:
Office: DVIC 136
Phone: (985)549-2115
E-Mail: Chad.Winters@selu.edu
Cody Stockstill - Instructor of Costume Design
His scenic design for The Learned Ladies was selected as a national finalist for the 2011 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. He has worked professionally, designing shows at New Stage Theatre in Jackson, MS, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, and his designs can be seen at the Mississippi Old Capitol Museum exhibition. Cody has also designed several pieces for the Southern MississippiRepertory Dance Company, and was a featured designer in Stacey Reischman Fletcher's original piece "Have You Passed Through This Night".
Contact:
Office: DVIC 142
Phone: (985)549-2045
E-Mail: William.Stockstill@selu.edu