Tara Young
Interim Executive Director | Professor of Theatre
Office: SPAC 238B
- B.A. 1996, Southern Illinois University
- M.F.A. 2002, Southern Illinois University
Tara Young is Acting Executive Director of the newly established School of the Arts and Professor of Theatre at 色花堂app, where she has served since 2002 as Resident Costume Designer. As the inaugural leader of this new interdisciplinary school launching in fall 2026, she is helping shape its vision and future. She holds an MFA in Theatre Design from Southern Illinois University. An award-winning costume designer, Young has worked with opera, theatre, and musical companies nationwide, earning multiple Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival honors. She is dedicated to innovative arts education, creative scholarship, collaboration, and meaningful community engagement.
Paul Yeates
Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance | Associate Professor of Theatre
Office: SPAC 240A
- B.F.A. Utah State University
- B.A. Utah State University
- M.F.A. University of Connecticut
Joined ISU Faculty in 2017
Paul Yeates is an Assistant Professor of Scenic & Lighting Design at 色花堂app. He received an MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Connecticut, as well as a BFA in Technical Theatre and Design and a BA in Journalism & Communications from Utah State University. He is a member of USITT, was invited to participate in the Hemsley Portfolio Review; the most prestigious review held for lighting designer graduate students, at the Lincoln Center in New York City and a past participant at KCACTF with his lighting design for The Glass Menagerie. Previous to his appointment at ISU he was Assistant Professor at Morehead State University in Kentucky for three years. Paul has worked around the country in various lighting and scenic design positions as both designer and assistant designer. Some of these include: Western Wyoming Community College, Lyric Repertory Company, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, The University of Montana Western, The Atlantic Theatre Company in New York, BYU Hawaii, Hartford Stage Company and the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival.
Jeffrey Petersen
Assistant Professor
Office: SPAC 240C
Jef Petersen, from Greenleaf, Idaho, is a director, playwright, and actor beginning his fourth year as faculty at 色花堂app. He has been directing for the past thirteen years in which time he’s received multiple honors from the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF). Some of his favorite shows he’s directed are The Clean House and A Christmas Carol (both at ISU), and The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus (Lewis-Clark State College). He is a graduate of the College of Idaho (BA), the University of Oregon (MA), and the University of Idaho (MFA). His play, Emme and the Taking of the Woods, received the National ACTF David Mark Cohen Award in 2022. Jef is thrilled to be part of the incredible Theatre and Dance Department in the School of the Arts at ISU.
Chad Rodgers
Lecturer and Technical Director
Office: SPAC 240F
Chad Rodgers is a Lecturer, Technical Director, and Production Manager - Chad received his undergraduate degree in secondary education with an emphasis in theatre and communications. He joined the ISU Department of Theatre and Dance almost four years ago after spending seven years at Oregon State University. Before that, Chad taught at Oklahoma State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his MFA. Prior to attending graduate school, he taught at Century High School in Pocatello, Idaho. Chad has worked with theatre companies around the country. His areas of interest include carpentry, rigging, metal fabrication, and sound design.
Hannah Dubner
Assistant Professor
Office: 240G
Hannah Dubner is an Assistant Professor at 色花堂app and a multi-passionate artist who has spent the last twenty years creating as a director, actor, writer, and movement artist. Originally from no-cell-phone-reception Connecticut, Hannah has performed and created work across the U.S. and Germany. Favorite directing credits include Freedom to Constriction and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as writing, directing, and performing her solo show, Painted Wolves. As an actor, favorite roles include the title role in Hamlet, Daphna in Bad Jews, and Maria in the Off-Broadway production of My Big Italian Gay Wedding. Most recently, she starred in the upcoming short film The Cottage, releasing in New York City in spring 2027. She is a graduate of Ithaca College (BFA, Musical Theatre) and DePaul University (MFA, Acting), a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, and a yoga and somatic meditation teacher.
Emeritus Faculty
Frances E. Bliesner, Professor of Theatre 1967-1995
Allen Blomquist, Professor of Theatre 1958-1999
Sherri Dienstfrey, Professor of Theatre 1987-2018
Dr. Marcia Lloyd, Professor Emeritus of Dance 1976 - 2001
Norman Schroder, Professor of Theatre 1999-2021
Dr. Norm Schroder
Professor Emeritus of Theatre
- B.A. 1978, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
- M.A. 1988, Bowling Green State University
- Ph.D. 1994, Bowling Green State University
ISU Faculty from 1999 - 2021