Creative Writing

Dr. Bill King

Bill King received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism - Advertising (1987), a Master of Arts in Creative Writing (1990), and a Doctorate in Literature (1995) from the University of Georgia. He has published critical essays on the works of two Poet Laureates of the United States, Robert Penn Warren and Robert Hass, and some of his own poetry in Wild Sweet Notes II: More West Virginia Poetry (2005). His favorite courses include Creative Writing, Literary Criticism, and American Nature Writing.

Dance, Ballet

Barbie Yurick

Barbara Yurick returns for her third year as Master Teacher of Ballet for The West Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts. She is on the Dance Faculty at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. She has been teaching in her own private studio, Dance-It! Oak Hill Dance Center as well as guest teaching for private studios, arts camps, Artist-In-Residence programs, public and private schools, and college and university setting for over thirty years.

Barbara danced professionally with The Appalachian Dance & Music Ensemble (of which she was an original member) and contributing choreographer. The company later became The West Virginia Dance Company. Barbara also performed with Theatre West Virginia at Grandview National Park in their summer repertory company. Barbara developed and presents “Children for Children,” an integrated arts program for early elementary students which incorporates children’s literature, creative movement and dance, music, theatre and visual arts. Barbara was selected from applicants throughout the country to participate in the Artists as Educators seminar at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and The Kennedy Center’s Defining Arts Integration and Developing Effective Residencies Workshop.

She hold a B.S. Degree from WVU, studied dance at North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, received dance scholarships to The Craft of Choreography Conferences SUNY, Brockport, NY and Geneva, NY. She has attended classes at Steps, Martha Graham School in NYC as well as other professional schools in NYC, Los Angeles, CA and throughout the United States, Canada and in France. She continues to study dance, education and the connections between all of the arts and human growth, development and communication and understanding.

Dance, Modern

Donald Laney

Donald Laney graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a Master of Fine Arts in Dance. He is currently the co-Artistic Director of the West Virginia Dance Company. Before entering the graduate program at UCI, Donald performed with the WV Dance Company, Houlihan & Dancers (Miami, FL), Randy James Dance Works (NYC), X-Factor (NC), and Trillium Performing Arts Collective (WV). While attending UCI, he had the opportunity to perform for Donald McKayle, Loretta Livingston, Lisa Naugle, and Christine Chrest, as well as present his own choreography which was chosen to represent the University in the American College Dance Festival Association in 2003 and 2004. In 2008 Donald was granted permission to perform Daniel Nagrin’s 1948 masterpiece “Spanish Dance”. Donald has served as the WV Governor's School for the Arts Instructor in Dance since 2005.

Digital Media

Brent Patterson

Brent Patterson is currently a Professor of New Media and Graphic Design at Marshall University. He is a native of Ravenswood, West Virginia and received his Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University and his Master of Fine Arts from Washington State University after working for several years as a multimedia designer. His areas of specialty are digital video, animation and web development.

Instrumental Music

Seth Young

Seth Young is a professional musician and music educator with a passion for authentic learning through process-driven instruction, as well as performance.  In addition to being a full-time music teacher at Jennings-Randolph Elementary School, he is an Adjunct Instructor of Music at Davis & Elkins College where he conducts the Davis & Elkins College Soul Revue, an ensemble that focuses on Jazz, Soul, Blues, Funk and Gospel music, and emphasizes modern American music as an art form worthy of academic study.  He also directs the Teen Lab Band program at the Randolph County Community Arts Center in Elkins.  He is proficient on many instruments, and is a classically-trained double bassist.  Along with his degree in Music Education from Davis & Elkins College, he has studied at West Virginia University and the Berklee College of Music.  Along with his musical and educational pursuits, he is an established actor.  Credits include:  Davis & Elkins College, The Old Brick Playhouse, Valley Ridge Studio Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Barbara, 2co’s Cabaret and Shadowbox Live.  On weekends, you can see him playing throughout the region with many bands, including Blackwater Mojo, Young Funk Sung, and the Appalachian Jazz Project.

Theatre

April Daras

April Daras earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Florida State University. A Florida native, April transplanted to West Virginia in the summer of 2003 to join the Theatre Faculty of Davis & Elkins College. She is currently an Associate Professor of Theatre and the Chair of the Fine & Performing Arts Department where she teaches acting and directing. April is delighted to have the opportunity to work with some of West Virginia’s most promising emerging theatre artists. At sixteen, April had the opportunity to attend a Performing Arts High School and understands the importance of developing self-discipline for the craft of acting and knowledge of the realities of professional theatre, while building useful skills that can translate to future theatre work. As an actor, she has worked in several Florida Theatres including Theatre Southeast, New Theatre, Florida Stage, The Caldwell Theatre, Fort Lauderdale Public Theatre, Oasis Theatre Company and Hollywood Playwright’s Theatre. Ms. Daras’s directing credits cover the range of dramatic literature and include classical theatre, musicals, modern drama and contemporary pieces. April has also been involved in the development of original theatre pieces and values working with playwrights in the development of new scripts.

Visual Art

Michael Doig

Michael Doig began painting and drawing as a child in his native Elkins, West Virginia. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from West Virginia University and his Master of Fine Arts from the State University of New York at Buffalo. While teaching in Buffalo, he began working on paintings inspired by Appalachia and decided to return home to help foster the arts in West Virginia. He received a teaching position at Davis & Elkins College in 2008 and is happy to have the opportunity to teach at the 2011 Governor’s School for the Arts. Although he works primarily in oil paint, he also works in acrylic, pigmented beeswax (encaustic), charcoal, pastel and stencils. He continues his Appalachia Series, and is currently working on a series of paintings reflecting on the Civil War in its sesquicentennial.

Vocal Music

Elizabeth Marshall-MacVean

Elizabeth Marshall is a native West Virginian from Elkins. She holds a master's degree in music education from Duquesne University. She received her bachelor's degree from Fairmont State College. Ms. Marshall was a public high school choral director for 15 years and founding conductor for the highly acclaimed Elkins High Madrigals. Currently Ms. Marshall is the choral director of the Davis & Elkins College Concert Choir and Oratorio Society. She is also a Music Instructor at Jennings Randolph Elementary. Elizabeth has had the opportunity to participate in professional workshops, studies in Choral conducting, Choral Techniques and Advocacy with many well known Conductors. Ms. Marshall has worked as a private contractor and Master Teacher Trainer for the WV State Department of Education writing, revising and presenting West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives. She has served as an adjudicator and guest conductor for various statewide All County Choral Festivals and competitions. Ms. Marshall worked extensively in Church Choral Music for several years and was the founding and Artistic director for the “Living Tree” for over 10 seasons. Ms. Marshall is the current president for West Virginia Music Educators and has held the offices on the executive board for Public Relations and Vocal Association President. She has been a professional member of the National Association for Music Education since 1989.

Dr. Thacker grew up in Philippi, WV where he played trombone in grade school and won the Golden Horseshoe. He was valedictorian at Philippi High School, where he played baritone and oboe and served as drum major for two years. In 1963 he graduated from the Air Force Academy where he was president of the Cadet Chorale. The following day he married Mary T. Solis, a mezzo-soprano from Texas who majored in music at Loretto Heights College in Denver and sang lead roles in their productions of "Brigadoon," "The Song of Norway," and "The King and I."

During his Air Force career, Dr. Thacker conducted, and Mary T played the organ, in church choirs at various assignments throughout the United States and in Japan where they lived for three years. During Christmas of 1968, they organized a 60-voice chorus in Japan to perform Handel’s "Messiah," which was broadcast on the Armed Forces Radio’s Far East Network. From 1977 to 1984 they were co-owners of Figaro's, a restaurant in Colorado Springs, CO, which featured live opera, light opera, and Broadway songs every night. Currently, Mary T directs the St. Brendan choir in Elkins, and her husband is part of the bass section when work allows.

Dr. Thacker also has a master's and doctorate in English from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master's in Public Management from Carnegie Mellon. He has 4,100 hours of flying time as an Air Force pilot and earned the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and three Air Medals. He currently serves as the Provost & Dean of Faculty at Davis & Elkins College.

Tom Hackman is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Davis & Elkins College, specializing in Theatre Design and Technology. Tom earned a Master of Fine Arts in Technical Production at the University of Virginia. He serves as the resident scene designer and technical director for all D&E theatre program productions. He has previously served as a technical director, scene designer and/or prop master for several professional and academic theatres, including the MUNY, The Heritage Repertory Theatre, Gretna Theatre, Elizabethtown College, and the New Lyric Opera. Tom is active in the Southeastern Theatre Conference and the US Institute for Theatre Technology. He has served USITT as the Vice-Commissioner for Health & Safety for the Scene Design Commission and is currently the Programming Coordinator for the national conference. His work has been published in the World Stage Design Catalog.

Erin is a 2010 graduate of Davis & Elkins College currently employed by D&E as the Academic Secretary for the Department of Fine & Performing Arts, Coordinator for the Writing Center, and Administrative Assistant for the Governor’s School for the Arts. A native of Columbus, Ohio, she worked professionally as an actress and vocalist before arriving at D&E, including performing with Shadowbox Live, an Ohio-based sketch comedy and live music theater, while still in high school. Other credits include Enjoy Theatre of Clintonville (Columbus, Ohio), the Valley Ridge Studio Theatre (Thomas, WV), and participation in the 2006 New York International Fringe Festival as a vocalist with Anatomical Scenario. As a student at D&E, she had the pleasure of acting under the direction of April Daras. Currently, she fronts several regional bands, including Blackwater Mojo, a roots-rock duo with her husband, GSA Instrumental Music instructor Seth Young, and Young Funk Sung, an 8-piece funk and soul band, both of which tour extensively throughout the region. The Youngs are world travelers, currently planning a return trip to Easter Island for their 5-year anniversary.

Resident Director

Robbie Brown

Head Resident

Amanda Carney

Jessie Douglas

Jessie Douglas is a rising senior at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, where she is majoring in math. She grew up and continues to live in Morgantown, WV. She attended both GSA 2006 (for voice) and GHA 2007, and is excited to be working at GSA this summer! She currently plays flute and piccolo in a very laid-back student orchestra and takes voice lessons in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She has also participated in theatre since the age of six, with some of her favorite roles being in Into the Woods, The Pirates of Penzance, and Spelling Bee. Stephen Sondheim came to her school once and she almost died from excitement. He was like, 10 feet away from her. For real.

Brandon Humphreys is an upcoming sophomore at West Liberty University outside Wheeling, WV. He is currently studying broadcasting communications along with a minor in business and music. As an alum of the WV Governors School for the Arts (for voice), he is excited to return this year as an RA to share his love for the arts. This will be his first year helping with GSA and is beyond excited for the event. He has had the opportunity to travel and perform with Ravenswood High School’s (WV) show choir, Rave Revue, for four years and West Liberty’s concert choir this past year. He has also been a part of the ACDA State Chamber Choir. As an Eagle Scout he can be found working several camps throughout the year but now has shifted most of his time to his disc jockey and sound company.

Susan Krakoff

Susan Krakoff is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in English at Davis & Elkins College and will begin her junior year in the fall. Although she is not a native of West Virginia, Susan has been soaking up Appalachia through D&E’s Appalachian Music & Dance Club, the Augusta Heritage Center, and the Elkins community. She learned how to play the banjo during the club’s apple butter making session in the fall of 2009 and picked up the fiddle during an Augusta mini-class with the renowned Gerry Milnes. Susan learned to flatfoot last year from recent D&E graduate, Becky Hill, and Augusta’s AmeriCorps, Matthew Kupstas, and is a member of the D&E Dance Collective, directed by Matthew Kupstas. She is an active creative writer in nonfiction and poetry and jumps at the opportunity to square dance and learn a new tune. This is her first year as an RA for GSA and she is eager to get to know the incoming group.

Jeese McBee

Jesse McBee is a native of Elkins, WV. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from West Virginia University in 2010, and is currently pursuing a master's in Jazz Performance at the University of Louisville, where he is a Graduate Teaching Assistant. He has had the opportunity to perform as a jazz/commercial trumpet player in West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland and Pennsylvania. He has been selected as a member of the KMEA Intercollegiate Jazz Ensemble, and prior to that was a member of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra for two years in a row. He was a semi-finalist in the jazz division of the 2010 National Trumpet Competition. He was a student GSA in 2004, and still has the T-shirt to prove it! Jesse's current greatest achievement is his 22 year, undefeated run as “The World's Greatest Grandson,” as indicated by birthday greeting cards from his grandmother.

Kelly Roidt

Kelly Roidt earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Spanish (2011) from Hollins University. A lover of languages and cultures, she studied Spanish in Seville, Spain as a sophomore. This past spring, Kelly traveled to Paris, France to study French at Columbia University’s Reid Hall as an Anne Gregory Fellow. A 2005 GSA creative writing alum, she put her writing skills to use to chronicle her adventures as a blogger for her program. It was during this time that Kelly received the Hollins International Studies award of Academic Excellence for her senior thesis, Native Outsiders: The Question of Linguistic Identity and State Influence in French Catalonia. Despite her travels, West Virginia and her native Elkins have always remained important to her own identity. Roidt worked the two previous summers for Davis & Elkins College’s Upward Bound and looks forward to working this summer with students at the Governor’s School for the Arts. She will attend Shepherd University in the fall for a Master’s in College Student Development and Administration.

Brandie Ward graduated from Davis & Elkins College, receiving her bachelor’s degree in environmental science. After finishing her degree in four years, she chose to stay in school at D&E for another year to pursue an art minor. This is Brandie’s first time working for the Governor’s School for the Arts but she does have Residential Assistant experience from being an RA at D&E for three years. Brandie has great leadership skills and is looking forward to working with the GSA students and staff.