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Theatre and Dance : Alumni

Our Alumni

The Department of Theatre of Dance is proud of the success of its alumni. Many have found careers in the theatre and entertainment business, while others have gone on to have successful careers in many other fields. Here is a sampling of what some of our alumni are up to and what they say about their education at SUNY Fredonia:

Paul Preston & Karen Volpe

Preston and VolpePaul – BFA Acting, 1992
Karen – BFA Musical Theater, 1994
Actors, Los Angeles

One of the things that made us grow most as actors while at Fredonia State was the incredible amount of opportunities that were provided to us.  And we took advantage of them all, from acting in Mainstage plays, short plays, directing scenes, environmental scenes, PAC productions and dancing and choreographing for Orchesis concerts to hosting radio shows, performing with improv troupes to doing stand-up comedy at on-campus events and writing and performing with WNYF-TV, we pretty much took fear out of the equation.  Acting and performing became second nature thanks to experience.  We also formed life-long relationships with faculty who we still highly respect to this day.
Since Fredonia, we’ve performed with The Second City, Disney Cruise Line and Tony n Tina’s Wedding (Chicago).  Karen has performed in Equity productions of Oklahoma!, Nunsense & Bark! in SoCal and toured nationally with Schoolhouse Rock Live!.  Paul has appeared on General Hospital and “Project VIPER”, an original Sci-Fi Channel movie and together Paul & Karen produced and starred in Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner, A Sort of Romantic Comedy, raising $3000 for Gilda’s Club.  Paul founded Digital Mind Productions, LLC in 2006, a company focused on creating original shorts, films and web content.


We welcome any and all Fredonia alumni to contact us in LA-LA-Land via our websites: www.prestonandvolpe.com and www.digitalmindproductions.com.

Joshua Jeffrey

Joshua JefferyGraduate Student, Carnegie Mellon University (Master of Entertainment Technology)
BFA Theatrical Design and Production/Scenic Design, 2007 (magna cum laude)
Gary Eckhart Award for Excellence in Theatre

I am someone who, after Fredonia, moved into a technology-based sector of the entertainment industry. Since my graduation, I’ve worked as a designer for the Walt Disney Company and Thinkwell Design and Production, a location-based experience design firm. Through Carnegie Mellon, I’ve created an interactive Star-Wars themed exhibit for the Robot Hall of Fame and this semester I’m working with a team on a self-designed project to bring interactivity to queue lines at theme parks. Feel free to check out my website for more of my technology-based work. I’d love to be able to share how my experience at Fredonia prepared me for where I’m going now.

J. Lou Barnes

Owner - At Home in the Chathams
BFA Stage Management/Technical Production, cum laude, 1995
President's Award for Excellence in Theatre Arts

J. Lou BarnesI was very happy with the education I received at SUNY Fredonia. After graduation, I was able to land my first professional theatre job in less than 3 months. The variety of the courses enabled me to step in and take on the enormous challenge of running the technical side of a busy college arts center. I didn't take only theatre courses, but also business and accounting course. This helped me run daily operations, but eventually budgets, and personnel issues for the theatre and it's companies. All this in addition to designing and building shows! My proudest moment was negotiating and planning for the full update of the theatres' lighting and rigging systems. This update allows many more groups, professional and community, to be accommodated safely and with more flexibility. The professors at Fredonia always treated me with the respect of a colleague, not just a student. I have always tried to emulate this when working with students, volunteers and employees. It sure makes everyone more comfortable and able to feel they are making a difference. I have recommended the SUNY Fredonia Theatre program to many people and will continue to do so.

Jeanine (Smyth) Maier

BA, Communications; Minor, Theatre Arts 1995
Health Insurance Industry, Buffalo NY

Jeanine SmytheAttending FSU was one of the best times of my life. When I started out as a freshman I was so shy and terrified of the world around me. I have an outgoing personality, but the only folks who would've known that back then were my close friends. I had a very hard time opening up to groups, speaking in front of people, and bringing myself to audition for a role. I LOVED theatre but my fears consistently held me back. Being part of the Theatre Department at FSU helped me work through and overcome those issues. The more experience I received auditioning, being cast, and working with my peers in my theatre classes, the more confidence I gained. My time in FSU's Theatre Arts program taught me to trust myself as an actor and as a person. It played a huge role in shaping who I am today and I would not trade my time, experiences and memories there for anything. Since leaving FSU I've had the joy of singing, dancing and acting my way through shows such as Little Shop of Horrors, Jesus Christ Superstar, My Fair Lady, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, as well as a host of other one-act plays and musical revues. I am also represented by a local talent agency. Life is good!

Nick Tochelli

BA, Theatre Arts, 2005
Freelance Theatre Artist, New York City

NickThe program at Fredonia exposed me to all aspects of theater, not just what program I originally applied for. Because of this varied hands-on experience, I have been able to work as a stage manager, sound designer, carpenter, electrician and actor. I moved to New York City in October '07 and have constantly worked in theater since that time and in March of '08 earned my Actor's Equity Card. Recent Credits:

Slaughterhouse-Five, Godlight Theatre Company; Production Stage Manager
The Basketball Diaries, Godlight Theatre Company; Production Stage Manager
Love, Inc., Midtown International Theatre Festival; Production Stage Manager
Epitaph For George Dillon; 45th Street Theater; Production Stage Manager/Sound Designer

Stephanie "Steff" Ludes

BFA Theatre Performance, 1997
Collison Shop Manager, DeLacey Ford, Elma, NY

StephanieAlthough I have not pursued a career in the Theatre Arts, my time and experience at Fredonia State were invaluable and most definitely have an impact on what I am doing today. The art of working as an ensemble, verbal acumen, improvisation, the ability to present myself in a positive way to the public, organizational skills and most especially the importance of a healthy mind and body are among the many valuable lessons I learned as a Theatre Major. These combined skills have helped me to move from a secretarial position in the Automotive Industry to a Collision Shop Manager (making pretty decent $$ I might add) within a few short years. I will always cherish the memories I have from my college years and thank those who guided me through my life as a student and who still have an impact on me to this day.

Jason Conover

BA Theatre Arts, 1996
Drama Therapist, New York City

ConoverI am in New York City working as a drama therapist in an outpatient drug and alcohol clinic specializing in helping adults with intellectual disabilities, mental health issues, and substance abuse. The theatre arts program at Fredonia was the beginning of a life long process of self-discovery. The classes were small enough to create a nice sense of community and I was given the opportunity through student organizations and main stage productions to explore my creativity and stretch myself as a playwright and an actor. I now use improvisation, role-playing, theatre games, puppets, live music, anything and everything that I can think of to engage my clients in the process of making positive change in their lives. Creative arts therapies are another option other than performance or tech that students can pursue with a theatre degree. There are wonderful music and drama therapy graduate programs at NYU and New York State has recently granted the creative arts therapies licensure, which I am now in the process of procuring.

Marisa Paonessa

BFA Acting, 1999
Talent Agent, Encore Talent Agency Chicago, IL

MarisaThe moment I took my first steps onto the campus of SUNY Fredonia I instantly turned to my parents who were standing next to me and said the few words that would change my life forever, “this is it.” It’s just a feeling you get when you just know. In my business I make a lot of decisions, but choosing to attend SUNY Fredonia was one of the best decisions of my life. SUNY Fredonia allowed me to create and develop without inhibitations. Its curriculum gave me the skill, knowledge and training necessary to build my career as a talent agent with Encore Talent Agency, one of the top agencies in Chicago. It is a SAG, AFTRA and Equity franchised talent agency with a strong non-union division. As an agent I work closely with actors to help them develop a blueprint for career success. My actors have been booked on national commercials, feature films, industrials, television & radio voiceovers, print and even Broadway. It is SUNY Fredonia that has paved the road to my success and has allowed me to make amazing memories and life long friends doing so.

Fredonia Theatre Alums on the Web and In the News:
Page modified 10/15/08