Kirk Domer, Professor of Scene Design in the Department of Theatre, has been appointed Acting Associate Dean of Academic Personnel and Administration and will serve in this position July 1-December 31, 2022, while Sonja Fritzsche, Associate Dean of Academic Personnel and Administration, is on research leave.
“I am excited to join the College of Arts & Letters Deans’ Team to support its ongoing commitment to practice inclusion as a matter of institutional habit,” said Professor Kirk Domer. “I look forward to continuing Dr. Fritzsche’s exceptional work while she is on leave.”
Domer served as Chairperson of the Department of Theatre from 2011-2020 and was the Acting Chairperson prior to that in 2009-2010. During his time as Chairperson, the Department of Theatre opened a 9,370-square-foot, state-of-the-art Scene Shop and a new courtyard for Summer Circle Theatre. Additionally, the MSU Auditorium was almost completely renovated and several programs were introduced, including the first linked BFA/MFA pathway program at MSU, which began in 2012.
As a Professor of Scene Design, Domer teaches design and technology classes, including graduate seminars in production design, collaboration, and professional aspects. He also teaches the senior seminar, which prepares undergraduate Theatre students for their careers in the arts and beyond.
“Kirk Domer is an award-winning designer, a transformative teacher, and a generous leader,” said Christopher P. Long, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters and the Honors College at Michigan State University. “I thank him for his stewardship and look forward to working with him in this acting role.”
“Kirk Domer is an award-winning designer, a transformative teacher, and a generous leader. I thank him for his stewardship and look forward to working with him in this acting role.”
Christopher P. Long, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters and the Honors College
Domer’s latest projects include multiple designs for Houston’s A.D. Players including their production of Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner. A review in the Broadway World Houston wrote: “The first impression you receive from this production, and my favorite element, is the drop-dead gorgeous, grandiose set designed by Kirk Domer.”
Domer also recently designed the world premiere of MacGyver: The Musical at Stages alongside the original TV show’s creator, Lee Zlotoff.
Additionally, Domer has designed multiple productions for the Ohio Light Opera as Resident Scene Designer as well as for Stages, Eastman Opera, City Lit Theatre, Mitch Albom Productions, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, Performance Network, BoarsHead Theater, Madison Repertory Theatre, Wharton Center, and Make*a*Circus. In 2015, he was the first professor in MSU’s Department of Theatre to be accepted into the United Scenic Artists Local 829 Union, a labor union and professional association of designers, artists, and craftspeople.
