Faculty Profile
Margarita Blush
Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre & Dance (2025)
Contact Information
Montgomery House
717-254-8267
Bio
My research interests are in the areas of: - Integrated, vision-driven directing process. - Ensemble theatre creation, the ensemble director, and the director-auteur. - Visual, Object, and Puppet theatre: world histories, theories, and practices. Contemporary puppet and alternative theatre practices and artists. - Devised theatre. - Physical and Movement-based theatre. - Creativity and imagination in theatre creation and pedagogy. - Asian theatre. - Intercultural and interdisciplinary theatre and collaboration. - Intersection of Eastern and Western theatre practices.
Education
- B.F.A., National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1994
- M.F.A., 2006
2026-2027 Academic Year
Fall 2026
THDA 201 Theatre History
The impulse to perform (and to be an audience) can be traced back to the very roots of human society. This course will explore the origins and evolution of theatre as a formal art within the context of western cultures. Beginning with the Theatre of Greece in the 5th Century BCE and proceeding up to the 20th Century, the broad relationship of art and culture will be illustrated through examination of both written plays and historical artifacts regarding play production in classical, medieval, early modern and modern eras. Students will learn through traditional classroom lectures and readings, and also through more performance-oriented exercises and explorations.
THDA 205 Directing
A study of the major techniques employed by stage directors. Visual theory, text analysis, collaborative techniques, and organizational strategies are examined and applied in class exercises including the direction of scenes. Prerequisite: 203.
THDA 319 Dramaturgy
What is a dramaturg? This course will answer that question through theoretical and applied investigations of dramatic texts in historical, literary, and performative contexts. Always keeping in sight the idea of theater as a collaborative production-focused art, students will practice research, text analysis, genres of writing for/about the theater and dramaturgical roles on various kinds and aspects of production. A dramaturgical casebook for a proposed play or department production will be the culminating assignment. Prerequisite: 101 or 201 or permission of instructor.
THDA 495 Senior Project
Permission of Instructor Required.
Spring 2027
THDA 303 Acting II:Adv Tech/Class Drama
An in-depth examination of the process of acting. Technical, interpretive, and psychological aspects are explored through reading, exercises, and scene performances. Major theories of acting are presented and discussed in the context of developing a workable, individualized approach to acting. Prerequisite: 203.
THDA 305 Advanced Directing
An inquiry into the process of translating a play from the printed text to the live stage. Detailed analytical techniques and major directorial theories are examined through readings, class discussion, and written assignments. Each student directs a one-act production under advisement of the instructor. Prerequisite: 205 and 230.
THDA 495 Senior Project
Permission of Instructor Required.