Visiting Artists & Faculty
Suzanne Costello
Suzanne Costello is an award-winning director, choreographer, performer, educator, and arts and health practitioner based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more than 40 years, she has created and toured original dance/theater works throughout the United States and internationally, blending movement, storytelling, and interdisciplinary collaboration. A leader in the arts and health field since founding the nationally recognized Caring for the Caregiver® program in 1991, Costello has developed innovative, community-inclusive projects with healthcare professionals, caregivers, military veterans, people impacted by cancer, and incarcerated populations. She has taught at colleges, universities, and conferences worldwide, mentoring students in performance, creative process, and socially engaged arts practice. Her work has been supported by numerous grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Ohio Arts Council, and other national and regional organizations. She holds a B.A. in Dance from Washington University in St. Louis.
At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Suzanne is teaching DA200: Topics in Dance: Moving Together: The Power of Arts for Health and Well-Being in Block 3.
Samantha Egle
Samantha is a movement director and instructor specializing in dramatic combat and intimacy for the stage. In addition to being a Certified Teacher withthe Society of American Fight Directors and Certified Intimacy Director with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators, she was an apprentice with Intimacy Directors International, a resident artist as an intimacy director at Arena Stage, and is an Advanced Actor Combatant with Fight Directors Canada. Her work has been seen on the stages of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Opera Colorado, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Phamaly Theatre Company, Theatreworks, Colorado Springs Fire Arts Center, Arvada Center, Curious Theatre, Aurora Fox, Lone Tree Arts, Denver Children’s Theatre, Athena Project Festival, Lagoon Theme Park, University of Denver, University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado Boulder, and numerous other educational institutions in Colorado. She is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the International Order of the Sword and the Pen and producer of the Paddy Crean International Workshop. She is the founder of Humble Warrior Movement Arts.
At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Samantha is serving as Fight & Intimacy Director for the Department of Theatre & Dance’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Larissa Kelloway
Info Coming soon
At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Larissa is serving as Voice, Dialect, and Speech Coach for the Department of Theatre & Dance’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Ruslan Khusein
Originally from Moscow, Russia, Ruslan is a sound designer working in film, television and documentaries with a focus on dialogues. Since moving to Colorado Springs, Ruslan began doing sound in the local performing arts scene, working as a sound designer and technician with Ormao Dance Company, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Ent Center for the Arts and other local organizations. He enjoys collaborating with artists and bringing his experience in film sound and live production together to create engaging experiences for audiences.
At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Ruslan is serving as sound designer for the Department of Theatre & Dance’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Sue Lauther
Sue Lauther (MFA U of Illinois) has served as a teacher, performer, and choreographer for projects around the world: Argentina, Taiwan, New Zealand, Ecuador, Mexico, Australia, Jordan, Costa Rica, and all over the US. She believes that technique is being able to demonstrate physical intention clearly, so she approaches teaching as a vehicle to help her students explore, expand, and clarify their options. She encourages her dancers to be part of the artistic process. Sue's choreography encompasses a broad range of styles and perspectives-from playful to pensive, zany to formal. In her teaching at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, she finds joy in exploring the metaphors, accuracy, and sensation of riding the dance form.
At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Sue is teaching DA125: The Body in Motion in Block 1 and Contact Improvisation in Blocks 5 and 6.
Rianto
Rianto, Master of Dance, trained in classical Javanese dance from a young age, specializing in the cross-gender form of Lengger Banyumas, Central Java. A graduate of the Indonesia Art Institute, he has been based in Tokyo since 2003 and has worked with international choreographers, performance-makers, and companies while remaining dedicated to his own voice for contemporary Javanese performing arts. His work has been presented internationally, including at deSingel, Arts House Melbourne, Esplanade Singapore, REDCAT, Fusebox Festival, and Carriageworks. In 2018, renowned Indonesian filmmaker Garin Nugroho created Memories of My Body, inspired by Rianto’s life. Rianto is also the founder of Rianto Dance Studio and Rumah Lengger, a foundation in Banyumas, Indonesia, dedicated to promoting and preserving Lengger for new generations.
At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Rianto is teaching DA200: Topics in Dance: Before, Now, and After the Body: Visiting Dance Artist Rianto in Block 7.
Kristen Wickersheim
Kristen Wickersheim* (AEA Production Stage Manager) had an accidental love affair with theatre that turned into a full-time gig. With a knack for organized chaos and a sharp sense of humor, she’s called cues for everything from mermaids under the sea to mistaken identities in 18th-century France. Locally, she’s lent her talents to Theatreworks, Springs Ensemble Theatre, FAC and the Millibo Art Theatre—often while wondering how she got here (and secretly loving every minute of it). Career highlights include wrangling the underwater magic of The Little Mermaid, navigating the comedic maze of The Game of Love and Chance, and keeping the drama (onstage only except for that bear) in Measure for Measure, Wild Honey, and WTF: Women’s Theatre Festival. She may have stumbled into theatre by accident, but she’s made a career of making things run smoothly—on time, on cue, and with a smile.
At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Kristen is serving as the stage management consultant for the department’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.