Dr. Aghssa brings a wealth of both academic
and professional experience to the theatre faculty at Eastern.
He holds a Ph.D. in Acting/Directing from Texas Tech University,
and M.F.A. in Theatre and an M.A. in Music from Ohio University,
and a B.M. from the University of Illinois. Skilled in opera
and musical theatre, his directing credits include Side
By Side By Sondheim and Starting Here Starting Now at
the Tallgrass Theatre in Texas and La Serva Padrona and Pimpinone for
the Arlington Opera Theatre. On stage his musical roles include
Ciccio in Most Happy Fella, Ali Hakim in Oklahoma and
Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance. While with the
Colorado G&S Festival he played Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore and
Dauntless in Ruddigore, and at the Illinois Opera Theatre
he appeared as Toby in The Medium and Don Basilio in The
Marriage Figaro. Not limited to the musical stage, Dr.
Aghssa has directed The Maids and Blood Wedding for
the Tallgrass Theatre while Michigan audiences have seen his
stagings of Belles and The Real Inspector Hound at
the New Vic. He has also played Puck in A Midsummer Night's
Dream, Albert in A Thousand Clowns, Grumio in The
Taming of the Shrew and in the title role in Tartuffe for
the Station Theatre in Illinois. During his first year at Eastern
Pirooz directed a sold-out run of Closer Than Ever.
Dr. Aghssa followed that success the following year by directing Into
the Woods in the Winter semester.
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