Communication, Media & Theatre Arts

Biography

Dr. Pirooz Aghssa has been at EMU since 1992 and in that time period has taught a wide range of courses and directed numerous productions on the Mainstage. His directing credits include: Urinetown, Fiddler on the Roof, The House of Blue Leaves, Angels in America I: Millennium Approaches, Evita, Brecht on Brecht, Falsettos, Dead Man's Cell Phone, and Into the Woods, to name a few. In 2010, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award by the Alumni Organization at EMU. Dr. Aghssa has studied with renowned theatre and music artists including Anne Bogart, Tina Landau, Adrian Noble, William Warfield and Evelyn Lear. He also studied cabaret performance techniques with Helen Baldassar and regularly performs in cabaret venues in New York City. He has been published extensively by the Brecht International Society.

Education

• Ph.D., Theatre Arts (Directing), Texas Tech University, 1991
• MFA, Theatre, Ohio University, 1986
• MM, Vocal Performance, Ohio University, 1986
• BM, Vocal Performance, University of Illinois, 1983
• Teacher Training Certificate, The Neighborhood Playhouse, NYC, 2004

Courses

• CTAR 115 Voice Technique for Musical Theatre
• CTAR 140 Script Analysis for Theatre Artists
• CTAR 150 Introduction to Theatre
• CTAR 158 Fundamentals of Acting
• CTAR 355 Directing
• CTAR 380 Musical Theatre Acting
• CTAR 421 Musical Theatre Styles
• CTAR 451 History of Theatre 1642–Present

Advising

• Theatre Arts, major and minor, undergraduate
• Theatre Arts, graduate

Professional Affiliations

• Association for Theatre in Higher Education
• National Association of Teachers of Singing