Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance

Linda Pisano was appointed Chairperson for the Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance in July 2018.

She formerly headed the Costume Program and was head of the Design & Technology Area at IU Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance. She has directed the Theatre and Drama department’s Study Abroad Program in London since 2004. Linda has served on the faculties of Iowa State University and Kenyon College.

A member of the United Scenic Artists Local 829, Linda’s work has covered a broad range of theatre, dance, musical theatre, ballet and opera and has been featured on stages throughout the United States, Canada, and the UK. Her work has been featured in the Quadrennial World Design Expo in Prague, the Bakhrushin Museum in Moscow the China Institute of Stage Design in Beijing, and the World Stage Design exhibition in Taipei and Toronto. She is a four-time winner of the Peggy Ezekiel Award for Excellence in Design, a three-time jury winner in the National Design Expo, and a two-time recipient of the Kennedy Center /ACTF Meritorious Achievement in Costume Design Award.

Linda’s designs have graced the stages of such companies as the Utah Shakespearean Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Opera San Antonio, San Diego Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Indiana Repertory Theatre, BalletMet, Lyric Repertory Theatre, Contemporary American Theatre Company, Brown County Playhouse, IU Opera Theatre at the Jacobs School of Music, and others. Several of her ballet designs continue to tour through Canada, England, and the U.S.

She received her M.F.A. in Costume Design & Technology from The Ohio State University, an M.A. in Theatre with an emphasis in Theory and Criticism, and a B.F.A. in Acting and Directing from Utah State University.

Linda recently completed her second term as an elected member of the Board of Directors for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. She holds membership in USITT and The Costume Societies of America and Great Britain, and has presented papers and sessions in the U.S. and internationally with USITT, CSA, and ATINER. She has received various grants and fellowships to study traditional commedia del arte mask making in Northern Italy. Linda’s most recent or upcoming designs for IU Theatre and Dance and IU Opera Theatre are The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Foreigner, Urinetown, L’Etoile, West Side Story, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Music Man.