Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film

Joshua Mullady is a first-year graduate student studying Lighting Design in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Originally from Iowa, he graduated from Northern Iowa in 2008 as the first student to receive a BA with all three emphases in theatre: Performance; Design and Production; and Drama for Youth. He moved to Omaha in 2008 and started as the Technical Director with the Omaha Theater Company (The Rose), and after two seasons became a freelance artist. He worked on over 100 shows in ten years as an actor, designer, director, and teacher. He’s excited to be at the Carson School and this new opportunity, and appreciates the support from the Fellowship.

Nathan alexander is a first-year graduate student in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film with an emphasis in theatrical props and technical direction. He has been the props master for multiple shows in his undergrad career and he is thrilled to be the props master for “The Glass Menagerie” for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre this semester.

Hali Liles is a Master of Fine Arts candidate in costume design at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. She received her B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri.

Liles began designing for Culver-Stockton’s theatre department in the third year of her undergraduate career. During that time, she received recognition for her designs at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, one of which was a design of The Addams Family Musical that was featured in the festival’s costume parade in 2018.

After graduation, she traveled back to southern Missouri to design for her community theatre, the Star Dramatic Company, that incited her passion for theatre so many years ago. Liles is excited to be furthering her education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is very thankful for the opportunity to do so through her fellowship with Hixson-Lied.

Amy Jo Wininger is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in costume design at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. She received her B.S. in theatre with an emphasis in costume design at the University of Louisville in Kentucky in May 2018. Wininger has had the opportunity to costume design Vanities and Eurydice for the University of Louisville. She was awarded the Boyd Martin Scholarship before graduation for her work as an undergraduate in the theatre department. She has held various professional seamstress jobs working on wedding dresses and even making horse-jockey goggles. Amy has worked on various films as a costume intern including: Mom and Dad, The Clovehitch Killer and The Art of Self Defense. She is excited for this new adventure in life and hopes to dive into the world of costume and character design, while exploring concept art in video games and animated pieces. 

Michael Strickland is a Master of Fine Arts candidate in technical direction with the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. A native of Austin, Texas, Strickland is a graduate of Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, with B.A. in theatre arts. Since graduating, he has worked for a number of companies, most recently serving concurrently as the technical director for Lawton Community Theatre and president of the Board of Directors for Blue Moon Productions, both of Lawton, Oklahoma. He is excited to be furthering his education at the University of Nebraska.