EPISODE #15
Conversation with Roy Lightner
Today we are talking theater, mental health, diversity and intention with Roy Lightner. He is an award-winning theatre creator, director, choreographer, and educator born and raised in Kansas City.
He recently joined the Musical Theatre Faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as an Assistant Professor. Previously, Roy served as the Associate Artistic Director for the Transcendence Theatre Company, and also on the Musical Theatre Faculty of Ithaca College. As a national director for Dancers Inc., he toured the country as a master class teacher.
Roy has taught at New York City’s Professional Performing Arts School, as well as created the contemporary/musical theatre dance program for the Astoria School of Fine Arts.
As a director/choreographer his credits include:
Transcendence Theatre Company’s productions of Those Dancin’ Feet, Best of Broadway Under the Stars, Fantastical Family Night, This Magic Moment, Wine Country Speakeasy (creator/director), Gala Celebration, Oh, What a Night! (2015 Winner Best Director Broadway World San Francisco), Superheroes in Love, and Music of the Night; New York City Opera’s Lucky to Be Me (Lincoln Center, assistant to Peggy Hickey), Hairspray, Miss Saigon (Sondheim Center), Legally Blonde (Arizona State University) Hound of the Baskervilles (Cape Playhouse, New Jersey Rep, Westin Playhouse, Depot Theatre). University of Alabama at Birmingham Productions: Disconnect, HAIR, Savage, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Working and Hairspray. Ithaca College productions: Dogfight, A Chorus Line, Under the Covers, How to Succeed…, Gone Missing, and Legally Blonde; Bring It On (Music Theatre of Kansas City), Pippin, Hairspray (Winner Best Director Broadway World KC), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Good News, Urban Cowboy, Starmites, Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and more. MTWichita: 2018 Festival Producer.
Dance Concert choreographic credits include: two full-length original choreographic ballets Under the Covers (Ithaca College) and In Your Eyes (Miller-Marley Ballet Company), The Oklahoma City Dance Project, NYC’s Community Dance Project, New York City’s Jazz Choreography Enterprise, Astoria Fine Arts and B.C. Beat.
Performance credits include: Babes in Toyland (Lincoln Center), a two time Kansas City Symphony principle soloist, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Stages St. Louis), Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Holland America’s Grand World Voyage (lead singer/dancer), Geva Theatre, Oklahoma City Rep. and Music Theatre of Wichita’s CATS (Mungojerrie), 7 Brides for 7 Brothers(Gideon), West Side Story (Baby John), Seussical (Wickersham), Hairspray(IQ), The Full Monty, Phantom, Aida, Beauty and the Beast and more totaling over 40 professional productions.
He graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University with a degree in Musical Theatre; and received his Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts with a Concentration in Performance Creation from Goddard College.
You can find Roy at www.roylightner.com.