Shana Jung Ah Joslyn, M.F.A

A Theatre Arts innovator who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty when painting and building sets that also shows the technical side behind the scenes.

Excited | Imaginative | Passionate: Theatre Arts is for actors and writers, but it is also for innovators like Assistant Professor Shana Jung Ah Joslyn, who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty when painting and building sets, or working on lighting. Joslyn's passion for theatre began in high school, but since then, she has assisted in design work for theatre, opera, dance, bands, and two world-premiere plays. At McDaniel, she teaches all technical Theatre Arts classes and the First-Year Seminar Theatre Appreciation course.
You were awarded the 2021 Ira G. Zepp Teaching Enhancement Grant to create a mobile 3D printing farm for the Theatre Arts Department. Can you describe what a 3D printing farm is and how it will benefit the campus community?: The 3D print farm will consist of six 3D printers. It will be used to design and print props, costumes, and scenic pieces for a lower cost for theatre productions, but will also be accessible and useful to students with career interests in engineering, architecture, medicine, dentistry, and physical therapy. These printers will give students hands-on experience in setting up the farm, building the machines from kits, building and printing enclosures, and connecting the machines to a network with Raspberry Pi microcomputers. This cross-disciplinary learning environment will incorporate STEM, programming, machinery, and design within the scope of the theatre.
When it comes to Theatre Arts, set design and technology are not usually what comes to mind. Why is it important to showcase another side to Theatre Arts?: The technical and design aspects are often overlooked. It is important to teach these areas because they help create and define the visuals of the play. As designers, we get opportunities to create new worlds. We are innovators. For set design, I've welcomed the opportunity to research and create accurate scenery and props for productions, including architecture, periods of style, fashion, geometry, computer-aided drafting, color rendering, and much more.
When students take courses in Theatre Arts, what do you hope they take away from the experience?: I hope they can appreciate the overall theatre experience. I teach about all different types of theatre, from Shakespeare, musicals, ancient Greek to contemporary plays. I hope students come away from my courses with a more well-rounded view on the Theatre Arts program and find new areas to explore and become passionate about.

Directory Profile for Shana Joslyn

Hobbies

Her love of 3D printing started as a hobby, printing small trinkets, and then she moved into more advanced models, including the full-scale Mjolnir (Thor’s Hammer) and Stormbreaker (Thor’s Axe).

Collections

She has a large Lego collection, and her favorites are the Star Wars and Harry Potter sets.

Cooking

Her other favorite hobby is cooking Korean, Mexican, and seafood dishes.

Shana Jung Ah Joslyn, M.F.A

About Prof. Joslyn

Outside of the classroom