Faculty & Staff

Ms. Ainza is a credentialed dance and somatic educator/artist, certified movement analyst, and Director of Dance at Cleveland State University. She has been on faculty throughout the United States and Mexico as an Assistant Professor and Artistic Director of Dance at Cornish College of the Arts, Tenured Professor and Artistic Director of Dance at Fresno City College, Guest Artist and Professor of Dance and Somatics at the University of Veracruz, Mexico, Director of Dance at Linfield University, Artistic Director and Adjunct Professor of Dance at Willamette University, and Guest Artist and Adjunct Professor of Dance at Lewis and Clark College. She has toured nationally and internationally with MADE, Oslund+Co and TDI, and has received grants from The Mellon Foundation and Oregon Arts Commission. Her pedagogical practice focuses on dancer wellness and sustainability, alongside creative experimentation as the driving force for dance making. 

Ms. Ainza earned her MFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts, where she was on scholarship as a Graduate Teaching Fellow. She completed a graduate degree and certification in Laban Movement Analysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals from the IMS based out of the University of Utah. Moreover, she is a certified 500 HR E-RYT and YACEP.

Toby Vera Bercovici is a director, intimacy choreographer, and devised theatre-maker whose work utilizes a rigorous authenticity and playful relationship with elements of style. She has created numerous adaptations of classic texts, including The *Annotated* Taming: Or, Out of the Saddle, Into the Dirt and The Life and Death of Queen Margaret. Her film When the Mind’s Free, about a family navigating the challenges of Alzheimer’s and addiction “in conversation with King Lear,” won a 2026 “excellence” award at the LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival. Her directing work has been presented in NYC at Theater for the New City, Looking Glass Theatre, and Circus Warehouse, as well as in Western Massachusetts by Silverthorne Theater, Hampshire Shakespeare, Pauline Productions, Real Live Theatre, Serious Play!, and others. Her intimacy choreography has been featured in shows at Asolo Rep and Portland Stage. She is a graduate of Smith College (BA) and UMASS Amherst (MFA), was a 2018-2019 Directing Fellow at Asolo Rep, a 2020-2021 Premiere Fellow at Cleveland Public Theatre, and a member of the 2026 cohort of Directors Lab North in Toronto and is a frequent presenter at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Conference. Before coming to CSU, she taught at Colby College. 

Lisa Bernd is a theatre historian and dramaturg whose work connects theatre history, performance, and contemporary theatrical practice. She is a Senior College Lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Cleveland State University, where she teaches theatre history, African American theatre history, and courses exploring gender, sexuality, and performance. Her teaching and scholarship focus on making theatre history an active, inquiry-driven practice, helping students understand how historical performance systems can illuminate contemporary production. 

Dr. Bernd holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an M.A. from CUNY Brooklyn College. Her research focuses on how communities have preserved particular identities through theatrical activity. She is also passionate about theatre pedagogy and using open educational resources to reduce the financial burden of learning. Her articles have been published in Text and Presentation, Theatre Journal, Theatre Symposium and Ecumenica. 

Holly Holsinger has been a Cleveland theatre artist for several decades and has created and performed in over twenty original plays in collaborative partnerships. Holly’s most recent work includes a performance in Busan, South Korea where she performed in the world premiere of My Dear, Helen by Hyeja Ju at the Global Women Performing Arts Festival. She also presented her original work, Marie Curie Horror Story (in which she plays the title role) at the BorderLight Fringe and The Rhinofest in Chicago. She co-wrote and directed Ancestra which was developed and premiered at Cleveland Public Theatre, a play about women’s rights, past and present. Ancestra was also produced in New York and was most recently performed in two sister productions at CSU and Oberlin College. Holly has performed throughout the United States and all over the world. She holds an MFA in Acting from the University of California, Irvine and is a certified instructor of Fitzmaurice Voicework. 

Cameron Caley Michalak (Technical Director and Instructor) has been Technical Directing (TD) shows for 25 years. Prior to CSU, Cameron was the TD for Cleveland Play House, where he was also Associate TD 5 years before that. In addition to TD work, he is a prolific Scenic Designer, a husband, a dad and lead vocalist for The Girl Dads band, based in Vermilion. Cameron is also resident designer/TD for MAD Factory Theatre Co. He holds an MFA from Goddard College. 

Shayla is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and educator whose work bridges fashion, theater, dance, and visual storytelling. Shayla received her B.A. in costume design from Kent State University, with experience in performance, choreography, costume construction, styling, and arts education. 

Amanda Ricard is a Stage Manager and Visiting Professor at Cleveland State University. As a CSU alumni, she is thrilled to return to her alma mater to teach and lead the stage management program. As a theatre artist and stage manager, Amanda is committed to creating a collaborative environment which fosters empathy, kindness, and encouragement. Some of her favorite credits include: Small Tragedy, and His is a Cage at Lenfest Center for the Arts; After Happily Ever After at The Players Theatre; Anything Goes and Matilda the Musical at Rubber City Theatre. Amanda is a proud member of Stage Managers Association and holds an MFA from Columbia University. 

David Stoughton is an Associate Professor, Designer, and Associate Director of Theatre & Dance in the Division of Performing Arts at Cleveland State University. He is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 (IATSE), and has designed the lighting for more than 150 productions in professional and academic venues across the United States, with additional work in projection and sound design. His work spans theatre, dance, opera, live music, and performance art and has been presented in theatres, museums, festivals, and alternative performance spaces. His primary expertise is lighting design and technology, with a focus on how lighting functions as a dramaturgical and environmental force, translating character, action, and thematic meaning into visual form within live performance. At CSU, David teaches courses in lighting, projection and media, sound, and production, integrating his professional practice and artistic research into his mentorship of emerging theatre artists.