The Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts and Letters at Missouri State University is pleased to announce the Reynolds Guest Artist Series. The Reynolds Guest Artist Fund brings experienced industry professionals in Theatre, Dance, and Musical Theatre to campus in support of student success.
“Our faculty, staff, and students are incredibly grateful for this type of transformational support that honors the legacy of Judith Enyeart Reynolds.”
Dr. Shawn Wahl, Dean of the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts and Letters, states “The Reynolds Guest Artist Fund supports the Missouri State University profile as a destination campus to study the arts and letters. High profile guest artists with extensive industry experience working with our students and faculty is one way we foster educational excellence across academic programs. Our faculty, staff, and students are incredibly grateful for this type of transformational support that honors the legacy of Judith Enyeart Reynolds.”
Meet the 2021-2022 Guest Artists
Generously provided by the Reynolds Guest Artist Fund
Joe Krienke
August & November ’21
Alexander Technique and Physical Theatre

Joe Krienke is a movement teacher and actor/creator based in Minneapolis, MN. He is the Co-Founder and Director of Soma Studios, a Minneapolis based organization dedicated to movement training and performance, and their Alexander Technique Teacher Training Program. He has taught movement and physical theater at the university level for over 20 years
For 25 years, Joe has been making and performing his own physical theater work. He endeavors to make work that inspires movement and laughter. While on the core faculty at Dell’Arte International (2006-2014), Joe designed and implemented a comprehensive movement curriculum for Dell’Arte’s one-year Professional Training Program and three-year MFA program in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre. He also served on the faculty in the MFA Actor training program at the University of Missouri, Kansas City (2001-2006), and he has taught workshops or been in residence at another two dozen organizations nationwide. Currently, he is a lecturer in The University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program.
Find out more about Joe Krienke and Soma Co. at https://www.somastudiosmn.com/
Jill Walmsley-Zagger
September ’21
Voice, Vocal Health, Shakespeare

Jill is the Resident Voice, Text and Dialects Coach for the Guthrie Theatre. At the Guthrie, she has coached Twelfth Night, Steel Magnolias, The Glass Menagerie, Floyds, As You Like It, Noises Off, Frankenstein, Incident, Sunday In The Park with George, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Bluest Eye, Blithe Spirit, Parchman Hour, and The Lion in Winter. Other regional credits include Milwaukee Rep- more than 30 productions; American Conservatory Theatre- more than 25 productions; Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre- more than 20 productions; Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Utah Shakespeare Festival; Arizona Theatre Company; Drury Lane Oakbrook; and The Lyric Opera of Chicago. An actor for over 20 years, she has appeared in over 80 productions. Jill was a Senior Lecturer for the UMN/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program, former Co-Head of Voice and Dialects at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and Head of Voice for the BFA and MFA Actor Training Programs at the University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign. Jill earned her Master’s degrees in Voice and Dialects from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama(London) and Northwestern University.
What is your advice to students getting ready to go out into the professional field?
To realize that being in theatre means a commitment to lifelong learning. We are never finished, and everyday offers a new opportunity for growth and developing the skills that bring storytelling to life. Also, to be kind, honor the work, be patient, respect one another and yourselves.
Do you have a specific process you use for your work? If so, how would you describe it?
My work is like smoke or alchemy, when it works it’s invisible and no one can see it. I come to the work from every angle I can find. There is the technical work of text analysis and all of the scholarly work that that entails. Then there is the physical work where we free the body and the breath so that it can support the words of the playwright and communicate across space to reach an audience. And then perhaps most difficult to explain is the work on the heart. To truly embody another character the actor must get inside them and understand their wants, needs, deepest desires, what drives them all the time accessing and using themselves which truly enlarges our thoughts of the world and others in it. I believe actors to be the most sympathetic and empathic people. The capacity and appetite for opening oneself to another character is extraordinary. It takes great heart, it costs something we’d it gives something back. The work towards that is both subtle and deep and as I said before takes an ongoing commitment but is also deeply rewarding.
How do you think theatre/performance has been impacted/changed in the face of the pandemic?
Well, the whole world has been changed, and of course, that includes theatre- which reflects the world. It’s still only just starting back up, so right now what we’re seeing is that the way theatre is made is different. For example, I start rehearsals next week for A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theatre. There are almost forty people in the cast. I’ll be teaching them all the British dialects for the show while wearing a mask. The safety precautions in place which allow us to put on the show are incredible. I’ve been telling people that the safest place to be in the next coming months will be in theatres!
But aside from the obvious ways, we are adjusting to working safely. The most significant shift I think will be the type of theatre we make. I know we understand even better why doing theatre; making it, attending it, is so rewarding and important, and that is because we need to feel in communion with one another.
Find out more about Jill and her work at https://www.theperformersschool.com/jill-walmsley-zager
D’Arcy Smith
October & November ’21
Vocal Violence, Voice

D’Arcy Smith is a professor in the Acting Department at the University of Cincinnati. He brings over 20 years of experience as a professional actor, coach, and teacher of performers.
As a voice, text, and dialect coach, he has worked on over 90 professional productions. Before coming to CCM, he was a resident voice coach at the Guthrie Theater for 4 seasons and voice coach for numerous professional acting companies in the US, Canada, and New Zealand including: Actor’s Theater Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, The Guthrie Theater, American Player’s Theater, Penumbra Theater, The Jungle Theater, Theater Latte da, Circa, and Taki Rua. He has also worked on television series as a dialect coach in New Zealand.
What is your advice to students getting ready to go out into the professional field?
Acting is a life long journey of discovery and refinement. Keep learning, keep being curious, and respect yourself and your craft. To be resilient and survive, you need to practice self-care and honor your own boundaries. Find a community of like-minded artists to support and collaborate on projects. Acting is a business as much as it is an art. Don’t be scared of networking, promoting, and celebrating your work!
Do you have a specific process you use for your work? If so, how would you describe it?
The work I’m coming to share is called Vocal Combat Technique. Vocal Combat Technique (VCT) was created to train performers to go to vocal extremes in the healthiest way possible. Voice training has traditionally worked from what is aesthetically pleasing and from a healthy vocal production standpoint. In the case of vocal extremes, that kind of training is ineffective, as it doesn’t prepare them for the real-world demands. Rather than starting from what is healthy, VCT starts from what is required and then works to make the sounds healthy and sustainable. Check out more information at www.vocalcombat.com.
How do you think theatre/performance has been impacted/changed in the face of the pandemic?
Well, the change and impact is still happening right now! Theatre is just now coming back and it will rely on new artists to create new ways of engaging with audiences. While the downside has been the impact on budgets on established and larger theaters, the upside is a wealth of new writers. Actors and writers don’t need to be in the same city to read a new play or rehearse part of the process. We can see theatre online from all over the world, which I think will expand our ideas of what theatre can be. I worked on my first show since the pandemic a month ago. It was outdoors and while the conditions weren’t perfect, the audience was so excited. It reinvented the thrill of sharing in an experience together. Actors are adapters. They will adapt and continue to create.
Find out more information about Darcy and Vocal Violence at https://www.darcysmithvoice.com/
Louis Colianni
October ’21
Linklater Technique, Voice/Speech

Louis Colaianni is an American voice, speech, dialect, and text coach and director in the professional theatre with specialization in Shakespeare performance.
He has taught in many actor-training programs and served as a voice and text coach for productions at theatres throughout the United States. He was a tenured, associate professor at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. He is a visiting associate professor at Yale School of Drama, where he teaches Voice into Shakespeare, and adjunct associate professor at Syracuse University Department of Drama, where he teaches Speech and Dialects. He invented the Phonetic Pillows approach to Phonetics and Stage Accents, which is used by many actor training programs. He studied voice with Kristin Linklater and is a Designated Linklater Teacher. He is the author of several books including, The Joy of Phonetics and Accents, Shakespeare’s Names: A New Pronouncing Dictionary, Bringing Speech to Life (with Claudia Anderson), and How to Speak Shakespeare (with Cal Pritner).
He recently served as dialect coach for the Amazon Prime series Red Oaks; the Santa Fe Opera production of Mozart’s The Impresario, directed by Michael Gieleta; and the Off-Broadway production of Eve Ensler’s play Emotional Creature, directed by Jo Bonney. He was the dialect coach to Bill Murray for the films Hyde Park on Hudson and St. Vincent, Don Cheadle for the film Miles Ahead, Anna Gunn for the film Little Red Wagon, and recently Will Ferrell for the Broadway and HBO productions of You’re Welcome America.
What is your advice to students getting ready to go out into the professional field?
Never hide who you are. Celebrate your voice, body and identity. No character will live without your breath, your images, associations and experiences.
Do you have a specific process you use for your work? If so, how would you describe it?
My work is based in breath and impulse. I teach vocal action and expression, Linklater Voice, Colianni Speech, Phonetics, Accents, and Classical Acting.
How do you think theatre/performance has been impacted/changed in the face of the pandemic?
We’ve learned how to overcome new obstacles during the pandemic. Since acting involves playing through obstacles, the zoom screen, masks, and distancing are all challenges that we can use to enhance our work and hone our skills.
Find out more information about Louis and his workshops at http://www.joyofphonetics.com/
Jocelyn Perez
Spring ’22
Spring Dance Concert, Dance Technique

Jocelyn Perez is a Florida-based choreographer, dancer, and educator. Jocelyn co-choreographed and performed in Querencia, a dance film selected and screened at ScreenDance Miami Festival (Miami, FL), American Dance Festival’s Movies by Movers (Durham, NC), and Northwest Film Forum (Seattle, WA). Jocelyn has performed repertoires by distinguished artists Talley Beatty, Bill T. Jones, Doug Varone, and Gerri Houlihan. She has also performed in collaborative processes for Rodger Belman, Michael Foley, Hannah Schwadron, Megan Carvajal, and Priscilla Marrero. Jocelyn earned an MFA in Dance from Florida State University and a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of South Florida. She has taught in the after-school program and directed musical theatre productions at Broadway Kids Studio in Davie, FL and taught and directed the dance program at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, FL. She is currently in Cincinnati, OH teaching at Mutual Arts Center and guest choreographing at Mount St. Joseph University Theatre Arts.
What is your advice to students getting ready to go out into the professional field?
Practice patience. It takes time to build a network and a community. Learn what alternative skills you possess to earn income other than your art form. Is it fitness, yoga, teaching, serving, social media, writing, or selling merchandise? Not only will this be an additional stream of income, but it will also make you more versatile and desirable in the workplace. You’ll be surprised by how much you learn about yourself in these other spaces. The transition from university to the real world is an adjustment. You transition from training all day everyday inside this bubble of performing and presenting to what feels like a void, starting from scratch. Learn what you need to cross-train on your own, whatever your medium is. Lastly, do not be afraid to talk about money. You’re an artist/performer/creator providing a service. Ask for what you are worth.
Do you have a specific process you use for your work? If so, how would you describe it?
In my choreographic process, I love working in dualities and then fleshing those concepts into movement. I thrive in a collaborative process. Dancers I work with are just as much the choreographer as I am. I approach the space as a director role and everyone in the room is a collaborator.
How do you think theatre/performance has been impacted/changed in the face of the pandemic?
This is a hefty question… In my experience, I have yet to see a live performance since February 2020. I just recently entered a dance studio after a year and a half. With so much loss, we are shifting and adapting. We’re reentering and learning how to gather again as safely as we can.
Joe Price, Theatre and Dance Department Head, states “The Department of Theatre and Dance is grateful that the Reynolds Guest Artist Fund was established to bring in accomplished guests to work with our students. We are honored to have these prestigious guests with us this year, and our students have had transformative experiences with some of them already. The coming months promise to bring more incredible workshops for our students.”