Alumni Profiles

In 2004, New Jersey native William Perry Morgan was already leading a successful career in the theater world, participating in Broadway, off-Broadway and regional productions, but he "felt 'trapped' and needed a change." Shortly after discovering Naropa University through a magazine advertisement, he sold his house and moved, along with his family, to Colorado for two years of study.
"The new program sounded exciting and exactly like what I was looking for," he says. "I knew I wanted to end up in a university setting and I needed a terminal degree. Plus, the excitement of the faculty at Naropa was a huge draw for me. I had been offered an opportunity to study somewhere else; it was a three year program and the faculty was made up of folks who studied at Naropa. But I thought it might be better to study with the 'originals' if I had the chance."

Asked about high points of his experience, Perry zeroes in on shaping a young program and the close-knit community that surrounded him. "Being in the first class of this degree was the best part and the worst part of the program. We were writing and making the program's history every minute together. ... The collaboration between class members is a favorite memory--our support of each other, our honesty with each other, sharing our fears, our joys, our a-ha moments and just the pure joy of experiencing each new creation. And then there are ... the library staff, the beautiful art in the hallways, the sunshine, the mountains, the administrative staff. ...

Now the Director of Musical Theatre Studies at Northwestern State University in Louisiana, Perry teaches Advanced Acting, Playwriting, Directing, and the Musical Theatre track (voice, history and performance). "I have introduced 'the bow' to my students," he says. "We bow in and out of each class, rehearsal and performance that I lead in honor and respect of each other, in honor and respect of the space and in honor and respect of the work. I am an Ambassador for Naropa." To those thinking about attending, "use your time here wisely. Fully commit to every day. Practice. Breathe. Listen. Love. Share. Allow others their passion too. This was a great gift to myself; make it a great gift to yourself too."

Eleni Papaleonardos , MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance, '06

Eleni Papaleonardos spent half her childhood in Columbus, Ohio and the other half on a Greek island called Aegina. If dealing with two languages wasn't difficult enough, she also had to contend with dyslexia. As a result, she found other ways of expressing herself:

"There was a disconnect for me," she says. "Growing up between two different countries was one thing but not being comfortable with either language was quite another. Everything was a puzzle and I had to figure out a more comfortable way to communicate. For me it was physically. I don't think I was fully aware of all this at the time, but looking back now it makes perfect sense why I entered college in physical therapy, turned to theatre and then physical theatre."

Eleni's training began with mime, then Suzuki, and broadened out from there. "When I finished college," she says, "I wasn't sure if I would go to graduate school unless there was a program specializing in the physical side of theater." That requirement made Naropa Eleni's top choice. "I applied to no other graduate programs but Naropa's Contemporary Performance MFA. In my opinion there is nothing else out there like it. Finding a program that combined physicality with original work, mind and body with the study of theatre and meditation with working on impulse was something that very much appealed to me."

Jessica Cerullo, MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Jessica Cerullo pic

When Jessica Cerullo came to Naropa, she had already trained in Russia and the United Kingdom, as well as worked in small companies and regional theaters within the United States. She had, however, grown wary of performing other peoples' work and "wanted to find a way to be directly involved in the content and quality" of the production.

"I wanted to make my own work but I didn't have the resources or the knowledge or the confidence to do it," she says. "I already had training and experience as an actor so I wasn't looking to learn about an acting technique or the business of acting. I wanted to go to a place that trusted me to integrate what I already knew into the teachings that the program offered. I wanted a school that would support me as an individual artist who was struggling to find her voice. I wanted to be challenged by the other students who would be making art different from my own, and I wanted to find future collaborators. The meditation component was also a strong draw for me. I didn't have a regular practice before attending Naropa but I do now and it is invaluable."

The investment clearly paid off, as Jessica is now performing in her own play Miracle Tomato as it tours the country. "This play began as a part of my thesis at Naropa and it provides communities where I perform with an opportunity to celebrate their local farms, foods and culture," she says. "Naropa gave me the courage to trust my artists' voice when it asked me to write a play about a fruit/vegetable. It also gave me the confidence to ask more of an audience. In 2009 I will work with the Improbable Theater on 'Devoted and Disgruntled', an open space forum for the New York theater community.

"Investing the time and money in a Naropa MFA was the biggest gift I ever gave to myself. Classes were difficult, relationships were difficult, but I never regretted my choice to be there."

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