Faculty
Abra Flores Paudler
Office: G25
Phone: 654-6400, ext. 3231
Email: apaudler@vcccd.net
Background:
Abra Flores Paudler is the resident costume designer at Ventura
College. She received her Bachelor of Arts form Portland
State University and a (MFA)
in Costume Design from the California Institute of the Arts. She teaches
the Costume and Design and History class, the Make-up
Artistry class, and Fundamentals of Costuming. Abra
takes groups of students to Europe every other summer for
the Costume Tour of Europe.
Abra designs the productions for both the Theatre department as well as
the productions for the Opera Workshop. The collaborative process that
takes place
for every production is one of the most important aspects of her job. To
enable students to be part of that process, whether it is learning how
to make the
costumes, how to design and build a show, hat making, or the design and application
of the makeup for the plays, she encourages active participation and teamwork.
Working with the students to create the costumes for the plays is pure enjoyment
for Abra.
Besides being the resident designer at Ventura College for the past ten
years, Abra has designed productions at the Rubicon Theater Company, the
Burbage Theater,
Los Angeles Theater Works, Access Theater, Ensemble Theater, Santa Barbara
Dance Theater, and Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera. She has also worked on
several video and film projects. Please feel free to contact her if you have
any interest or questions about how to participate in the very exciting process
of costume design.
Jonathan O'Brien
Office: G131
Phone: Not Available
Email: Not
Available
Background:
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ... Jon attended the University
of California, Los Angeles film school, bringing to the school four years
of experience in local television and filmmaking, which included news, sports,
commercials, and entertainment shows. After graduating from the masters program,
he was chosen for the prestigious Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) Entertainment
Management Internship Program. Following that year-long grounding in all
aspects
of production and story development, he was with the In-House Movies of the
Week/Mini-series department for five years where he worked in both story
development and all facets of production for over 60 movies and mini-series.
Together with
his wife (Who also went to the University of California, Los Angeles Film
School), they have collaborated on a wide variety of freelance productions
that range
from educational videos to feature films to stage plays, and a number of
screenplays and writing projects. Jon has won awards for writing, directing,
editing, and
cinematography. A recent screenplay was a top five finalist at Austin's Heart
of FIlm National Screenwriting Contest. His work as a cinematographer earned
a Silver CLIO, a California ADDY award, first place at the
Marin County Film Festival, and a showcase at the Bilbao International Film
Festival.
For editing, Jon has won awards from the JVC International Pro-Video
Contest and Beldings Excellence in Advertising. In addition to his classes
at Ventura College, Jon also teaches at Santa Barbara City College where
he launched a screenwriting component of the Film Department and currently
teaches
both beginning and advanced screenwriting classes. The majority of Jon's
professional writing time has now shifted from screen to the streets where,
as a grant writer/program
design, he has won over $35 million dollars for non-profit agencies and educational
programs for underprivileged children. A four-year, four million dollar Technology/Literacy
program he co-designed for the Lennox School District (an 88 percent HIspanic
port-of-entry community in Los Angeles) was one of only five from a national
field of over 500 finalists accorded a permanent place in history at the
Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History, Education and
Academia. Jon
has a passion for creating a classroom atmosphere that is fun and helps students
discover their hidden talents, find their passion, follow their own path,
and develop what remains the most powerful tool they'll ever have at their
disposal
in their future endeavors - the head on their shoulders.
Jay F. Varela
Office: G131
Phone: 654-6400, ext. 3194
Email: jvarela@vcccd.net
Background:
Jay Varela received his Bachelor of Science in English Literature at Loyola
Marymount and his Master of Arts in Theatre Arts at the Unversity of California,
Los Angeles. Mr. Varela taught for six years at Pierce Community College before
beginning a professional career in acting, directing, and writing in theatre,
television and film. He has been an associate professor at Ventura College
for the last fifteen years. Twelve years ago, he began the Student One-Act
Play Festival, to give students the opportunity to write, direct, act and engage
in all aspects of play production.
Judy Garey
Office: G132
Phone: 654-6400, ext. 3236
Email: jgarey@vcccd.net
Background:
Judy Garey holds a Bachelors degree fromt he University of
Maryland, a Master of Arts in Theatre from the University
of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Education from
the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition
to acting
and directing,
Judy's
interests
focus toward using theatre in the
teaching of other disciplines, and her work as a 2000-2001 Carnegie Scholar
highlights a collaborative curriculum project between Theatre Appreciation,
African American History, and Women in Literature. Productions Judy has directed
at Ventura College include: Deathtrap, The Normal Heart, The Destiny of Me,
Noises Off, The Memorandum, A Streetcar Named Desire, and
the Complete
Works of William
Shakespeare (abridged), to name a few. She is an active member of the Association
of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) and the American College Theatre Festival
(ACTF). For the American College Theatre Festival, she serves as a regional
production adjudicator and received national recognition as a director when
her 1988 production of Biloxi Blues was presented at the Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C.
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