Associate Professor of Theatre and Chair of the Department
Areas of Expertise: Acting, Directing, Musical Theatre
Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian (Dr. B.) has an M.F.A. in acting from The National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria and a Ph.D. in theater arts from the University of Oregon.
She was one of the founding members of Atelier 313, an experimental Bulgarian theater company founded after the fall of the “iron curtain.” As one of the seven original members of the Magic Voices franchise, she toured internationally and performed at venues in France, United Kingdom, Russia, Bulgaria, Canada, United States, and Tunisia for more than five years. She is also a co-founder of the Paradocs Ensemble Theatre where she played the roles of Joan in The Guys and Lisa Morrison in Collected Stories. Some of her other acting credits include Blood Wedding, The School for Wives, and Period of Adjustment.
Before she came to Lycoming College, Dr. B. served as the chair of the Theatre Department at Emory & Henry College in Virginia for nine years where she was also in charge of the professional association with Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia.
Her most recent directing credits include Cabaret, An Absurd Pair, Arsenic and Old Lace, Tartuffe, Company, Rumors, I love You, You Are Perfect, Now Change, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), and The Marriage of Figaro.
Dr. B.’s research and artistic interests include acting teaching methods, comedy, Moliere, and Eastern European absurdism. She has received extensive training in Stanislavski, Chekhov, and neutral mask, and she has led master classes and acting workshops nationally and internationally.
In 2015, Dr. B. joined the Theatre Department at Lycoming College where she teaches a wide range of acting, directing, and musical theater classes, directs productions, advises students in the performance and directing concentrations, and serves as the head of acting and directing.
For more information on Dr. Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian see her curriculum vitae.
Theatre Website