Theatre Arts Faculty
Department of Theatre Arts
Gordon College
Wenham, MA 01984
Norman Jones
Department Chair
Professor of Theatre Arts
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B.A. Houghton College
M.A. State University of New York at Buffalo
Norm has been teaching theatre at Gordon College since 1985. In that time, he has directed 36 plays and has supervised 28 student-directed productions. His interest in encouraging the creation of new theatrical works has resulted in 15 premieres or commissioned plays. Norm is also an actor and playwright. He has performed his original one-person script as Nathaniel Hawthorne in dozens of different settings.
Jeffrey S. Miller
Professor of Theatre Arts
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B.A. Bethel College
M.A. University of Minnesota
Before joining the Gordon faculty in 2002, Jeff was the founder and Artistic Director of The Refreshment Committee Theatre Company of St. Paul, MN. He also chaired the Theatre Arts Department at Bethel University in St. Paul, where he received the 1995 Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship, and served as Director of Education, director, and performer at Lamb's Players Theatre in San Diego, CA.
His many directing credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Macbeth, Shadowlands, Edith Stein and Forgiving Typhoid Mary. At Gordon, Jeff has directed a new adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities, Tartuffe, The Secret Garden, An Evening of Pinter, Tarantara! Tarantara!, Sueño and Quilters. The student ensemble-created devising called Growing Up Christian, directed by Miller, was recently selected to be performed at the Region 1 gathering of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
Matt Schwabauer
Production Manager, Technical Director
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B.A. Hope College
Matt Schwabauer has been a theatre artist for many years, having focused primarily in the area of performance, both in his undergraduate work at Hope College and in recent Boston area shows. In addition to his acting credentials, Matt draws upon experience in construction and building when working with students to design sets for Theatre Department productions. Prior to his work in the Department of Theatre Arts, Matt served in Gordon College’s Design Center for nearly five years.
During his tenure as a student at Hope College, he was awarded the Distinguished Artist Award scholarship for four years. For his independent study, he directed and performed a leading role in Jane Eyre: The Musical. Locally, he has been involved with Gordon's own History Alive!, the Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe, and Sea Change Theatre Company. Other selected production credits include roles in Aristophenes’ The Birds, Everyman, King Lear, Candide, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Cry Innocent, Twelfth Night, Measure For Measure, Spinning Into Butter, and The Importance of Being Earnest.
FACULTY REVIEWS FROM PAST AND CURRENT THEATRE ARTS STUDENTS
"I appreciate that we're given the tools and opportunities to grow and succeed, because the faculty inspire us to be brilliant."
"The small size is beneficial by providing more opportunities than a larger department would. I think this also allows for students to work closely with professionals and get a glimpse of what theatre is like outside of Gordon."
"I particularly value the care I feel for me as an actor as well as a person - exemplified by the chance to meet and talk with faculty in the end-of-year review. I feel like I am not just needed, but important and cared for in this department….the lack of presumption that 'I am a faculty member and have to keep it obvious that I am more capable than you'."
"While they try and help facilitate the cultivating of students' passions as they relate to theatre, the department faculty get into peoples' lives in a caring, loving and mentoring way. We are given responsibility with every show. The tasks that we are given are tasks that many theatre professionals do for their lives and get paid for. The amount of trust and faith that our professors put in us is both daunting and welcome. The proverbial ball is in our court and it is up to us to hit it back with all of our effort and being."