Mentors
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Chair, Department of Drama Head of Stage Management Joel Veenstra is a professional stage manager, production manager, producer, and improviser, and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. He has collaborated with renowned regional theaters, large-scale galas, festivals, and international productions, and has extensive experience in both theatrical and interdisciplinary production. Veenstra serves as Vice Chair of Production in the Drama Department at the University of California, Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts, where his work integrates stage management, production leadership, and applied improvisation. He holds an MFA in Drama from UC Irvine and a BA in Communication Arts and Sciences with a Theatre focus from Calvin College. |
Stage Management Lecturer
Shay Garber is a professional stage manager, event manager, arts administrator, and educator based in Southern California. She has worked with a wide range of theater organizations, including Musical Theatre West, the Ojai Playwrights Conference, the Sacramento Theatre Company, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. She has held leadership roles in production management, arts administration, and labor relations. Shay teaches stage management at CSU Fullerton, UC Irvine, and Saddleback College, and serves as an adjudicator for the MTW Footlighters Scholarship program for technical theatre. She holds a BFA in Stage Management from Syracuse University and an MFA in Stage Management from the University of California, Irvine. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
ALISON ANDERSEN
Stage Management Lecturer
Alison Andersen specializes in stage management, production management, technical theater, and scenic and lighting design. She holds a B.A. in Theater Arts from Goucher College and an M.F.A. from Columbia School of the Arts. Her research focuses on international theater and stage management, informed by her training with leading Broadway stage managers and experiences at renowned institutions, including the American Ballet Theater and The Metropolitan Opera House.