Joe Brandesky
Professor
Lima Campus

Areas of Expertise
• Acting/Direction
• Introduction to Theatre

As a specialist in Russian and Czech theatre, Professor Brandesky has traveled to St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Prague to study and conduct research in his field. Brandesky has developed several Theatre Design exhibits, most recently as Guest Curator for "Metaphor and Irony: Czech Set and Costume Design 1920-1999." It was shown at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus from July 27 - October 15, 2000, and subsequently ran at two other sites in the U.S. during 2001: the McNay Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, and the Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, Kansas. A followup exhibit entitled Metaphor and Irony II is currently being organized and will be shown beginning in Autumn 2004. He has organized 3 study tours to the Czech Republic and led a group to the 2003 Prague Quadrennial Stage Design Exposition in June. Professor Brandesky has made numerous scholarly presentations at state, regional, and national conferences. He has published articles in Theatre Design and Technology, Slavic and East European Performance and the Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism. This year he received two awards, one for scholarship and one for teaching. His essay, "Spectacular St. Petersburg: 100 Years of Russian Theatre Design" was awarded the Herbert D. Greggs Outstanding Article Award by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology and he received the Ohio State University Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching. Since joining the faculty at OSU-Lima in 1988, Dr. Brandesky has produced, directed, and co-directed 48 productions, including The Imaginary Invalid. During the same period, he has occasionally designed sets and lights for productions and acted, for example, in the title role of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.

Education
• B.A. Southwest Texas State University 1975
• M.A. Southwest Texas State University 1982
• Ph.D. University of Kansas 1988