Author Profile:  Wesley Van Tassel

WESLEY VAN TASSEL (Professor Emeritus) teaches acting playwriting and Shakepseare classes part time.  Prior to coming to Central Washington University in 1991, he headed five theatres in the mid-west and served as chair of two college theatre departments.  He has directed more than 100 productions, many with stage and screen stars.  Dr. Van Tassel received his B.S. at Minnesota State University in Moorhead, his MA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his PhD from the University of Denver.  He has directed many CWU productions including The Comedy of Errors, The Merchant of Venice, The Grapes of Wrath, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Dracula and wrote and directed an original musical adaptation of The Tortoise and the Hare.  He published an article in VASTA Journal, which is the publication of the professional voice trainers of America, and is a featured speaker in the Washington State Commission for the Humanities' "Inquiring Minds" series.  Van Tassel was named Phi Kappa Phi Scholar of the Year for 2001-2002.  Van Tassel, and wife Dude Hatten, have recently moved to the country, where he enjoys writing new plays.