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R. Cliff Thompson serves the university as Director of Theatre. He received a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi, a B.A. in theatre from Harding University, and an M.F.A. in directing from the University of Memphis. Thompson specializes in acting, directing, and theatre history instruction.

Thompson worked professionally in the Memphis theatre community. In 2004, he spent a summer working with the Abington Theatre, an Off-Broadway theatre company committed to producing new plays by American writers.

Favorite directing credits include "Macbeth," "Little Women: the Musical," "The Secret Garden," "The Miracle Worker," and original productions "The Dracula Project" and "Alice!"

After 25+ years spent in educational theatre training students to work professionally, Thompson feels blessed to see so many of his graduates working in New York and elsewhere.

Brandyn Graves works as the university’s Technical Director, as well as an assistant professor of theatre focusing on design and technical theatre. He specializes in production design and conceptual rendering. He obtained his M.F.A. in Production Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design and his B.A. in Studio Art from Freed-Hardeman University.

Some of Graves’s favorite design experiences include "The Mountaintop" by Katori Hall, "Eurydice" by Sarah Ruhl, and the short film "Tesla: War of the Currents."