Theatre

J "Bryson" Baker is a Stillwater native, entrepreneur, and has been associated with the Oklahoma State University Theatre Department since 2004.   Bryson received a Liberal Studies degree from Oklahoma State and went on to receive his Honors Degree in Fine Arts specializing in Acting.  In 2011 he graduated with his Master's Degree in Acting.  Bryson has performed on stage at Oklahoma State University and worked on several regional films.  His favorite roles include "Eddie" in Fool for Love, "Jody" in Lonely Planet, & "Satan" in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.  Bryson stopped auditioning in 2014 when he founded his first company EVERYMAN but plans to make a return to more active auditioning soon. 

From 2011-2015 Bryson founded and developed the OrangeTech concept inside the University Store at the Student Union.  Bryson created a nationally recognized brand amoung college retailers and was a frequent guest speaker at collegiant retail conferences.  He was a selection to the National Association of College Stores' first Leadership Institute and would later go on to be a facilitator for the Institute.   

For 10 years Bryson built EVERYMAN into the premier destination in Stillwater for Barbering & Menswear.  In 2022 he began a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion project in Downtown Stillwater.  That iteration of EVERYMAN would eventually open in 2023 but go sour because of a failed partnership and closed as of October 2024.  Bryson continues to stoke the entreprenuerial flame with other projects in early development.  

Bryson has continued to serve on faculty throughout his business adventures.   He teaches a lively course titled "Introduction to Staged Entertainment" as well as "Fundamentals of Acting" with a focus on non-majors.  He is passionate about Theatre and believes the study of the theatrical arts, in particular acting, can inarguably benefit any dicipline.  Bryson is also a vocal ally in the world of foster care, adoption, and youth mentorship..  He and his wife has fostered several children and have adopted two of their own, Briarlynn & Annson. 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION: 

1. (ACTING) Irene Ryan Nominee - "Jody" in Lonely Planet
2. (ACTING) Thad Scott Scholarship - "Satan" in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot Chamber Choice Award Winner
3. (VOLUNTEER) Big Brother of the Year
4. (ORANGETECH) Leadership Institute Selection
5. (EVERYMAN) "Chamber Choice Award 2017"
6. (EVERYMAN) "Business of the Month" April 2019
7. (EVERYMAN) "Business of the Month" December 2023

COMMITTEE, SERVICE & ADVISING: 

1. (ORANGE TECH) Leadership Institute Facilitator - National Associate of College Stores
2. (ORANGE TECH + OSU) Host of first TEDx OSU 
3. (OSU) The Dean's Building Leaders Initiative - Panelist (April 2024) 
4. (EVERYMAN + OSU) Riata Entrepreneurial Internship Host Company 

Lee Brasuell is a Professor of Design and Head of the Department of Theatre at Oklahoma State University. In 2016, he was named an Oklahoma DaVinci Fellow by the DaVinci Institute, and in July of 2017, received the Mary Lou Lemon endowed Professorship for Underrepresented Voices. During his time at OSU, Lee has served as the Technical Director and Production Manager for over 50 productions. Design credits at OSU include aerial rigging design for Oklahoma Voices, Xanadu, and Shipwrecked: scenic design for Betrayal, Eurydice, and The Birds: lighting design for Almost Maine, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Argonautica: and sound design for Oklahoma Voices, Beyond Therapy, Tartuffe, As you Like it, The 39 Steps, Blithe Spirit, Almost Maine, Spelling Bee, The Call, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Spitfire Grill, Comedy of Errors, and She Loves Me, Doubt, True West, Oklahoma, Steel Magnolias, Stop Kiss, War of The Worlds, and Charlottes Web. During his tenure at OSU, he worked with mathematician Henry Segerman on the creation and production of a new circus apparatus and performer called the Tao-Line, which made its debut at the Muse Circus training facility in Brooklyn, New York, in August of 2018. His professional credits include aerial and circus rigging design for the Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre, including Lookingglass Alice, Circus Quixote, Hephaestus, Peter Pan, Fedra, Cascabel featuring Iron Chef Rick Bayless, and The Little Prince. Other Chicago credits include production design for Shear Madness at The Legendary Chicago Theatre, a production artist for Cirque Shanghai's Bai Xi at Chicago's Navy Pier, scenic design for Theatre at the Center's Noises Off, scenic design for Walkabout Theatre's production of An Unembarrassed Mind, and at Moraine Valley Community College, special effects and property design for Evil Dead The Musical plus production design for Machinal, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and No Exit. Local credits include Head of Special Effects, flying for the Lyric Theatre's productions of Wizard of Oz and When You Wish, and scenic designs for Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park and Carpenter Square Theatre. He received his MFA in Scene Design & Technical Direction from the Hilberry Theatre at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and his BA from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Brian Butler (He,Him,His) is the Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Costume Lab Manager at Oklahoma State University. Originally from Wylie, Texas.  Brian holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume design and Technology from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas and a M.F.A. in Costume Design and Technology from Purdue University. He has worked in a wide variety of costume and makeup areas including opera, dance, film, musical theatre, historical recreation, millinery, dyeing, draping, leathercrafting, Wig creation, Special FX makeup, and show designs. Brian has worked with many companies and schools including Texas Shakespeare Festival, Summer Rep Theatre, Arkansas Shakespeare Festival, University of Central Oklahoma, Painted Sky Opera, Opera Amici, Nacogdoches Opera Festival, Stratford Circus theatre - UK, South Bend theatre festival-UK, Rose Bruford College in Sidcup Kent UK, Collin College, Collin Theatre Center, Purdue University, Midwestern State University, Stephen F. Austin State University. Brian’s work can be found at https://bbutlerdesigns.wixsite.com/portfolio.

Fabian J. García (He/Him/His) is a lighting designer for theatre, dance, and events, currently operating out of Stillwater. Born in Texas to Mexican immigrant parents, he is proud to be a Mexican American designer who strives to push the boundaries of his work by bringing his heritage and experience to every process. It’s Fabian’s core belief that voice matters when telling a story, and as we grow to respect every voice, we can best embody the spirit of the stories of yesterday, today, and those still to be told.

It’s Fabian’s joy to look at each project through a collaborative lens, emphasizing the teamwork between not only him and his lighting team, but also the creative partnership with directors, music directors, choreographers, and other design staff. In an educational setting, Fabian welcomes young performers and technicians into the creative process, spreading the joy and power of stage lighting through internships, volunteer opportunities, workshops, and mentorship. His work is known throughout the central south region.

David Weber is an accomplished actor, professional director, and theatre educator. He is a member of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers, The Michael Chekhov Assosciation, Actors' Equity Association and has an MFA in Acting from California State University Long Beach where he studied acting and acting pedagogy under the direction of Alexandra Billings, Hugh O'Gorman, Ezra LeBank, Dr. Shanti Pillai, and Andrea Caban. He has been recognized by Bert Osborn, critic at AJC as one of the Top Ten Actors in Atlanta, for his work in Terrence McNally's "A Perfect Ganesh." David is currently pursuing MICHA's certificate of completion in the Michael Chekhov technique and his research is in non-trauma based acting pedagogy, playing actions, clown, and Stanislavski's event analysis. Recently, he played Master Ford / Brook in Merry Wives of Windsor at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park where he previously played Claudius / Hamlet's Ghost in their production of Hamlet and directed Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged, Revised, Again.  He will tour his criticially acclaimed one man Christmas Carol, An Actor's Carol: One clown's Dickensian marathon towards redemption, at the end of November - December. 

Research Interests: 

Acting, Clown, Performance Pedagogy