Roy Lightner headshot.

Assistant Professor This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Office Location: ASC 284
(205) 996-5299

Office Hours: By appointment

Education:

  • BM, Oklahoma City University, Musical Theatre
  • MFA, Goddard College, Interdisciplinary Arts concentration in Performance Creation

Roy Lightner is an award winning director and choreographer born and raised Kansas City. He was a professor at Ithaca College in the Musical Theatre Department as well as the Associate Artistic Director of Transcendence Theatre Company in Sonoma, CA, prior to joining the Department of Theatre at UAB. 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 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), Hound of the Baskervilles (Cape Playhouse, New Jersey Rep, Westin Playhouse, Depot Theatre). 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), Hairspray (Winner Best Director Broadway World KC), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Good News, Urban Cowboy, Starmites, Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and more. Dance Concert Choreography credits include: two full-length original choreographic works 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: Holland America’s Grand World Voyage (lead singer/dancer), 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, 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 in MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts with a concentration in performance creation from Goddard College.

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