David Barber
Areas of Expertise
- 25 years of professional experience in scenic and costume design for theater, television, film and live events
- Art director for NBC Universal in NYC for 11 years
- Extensive experience in regional theater, Broadway, Off-Broadway and international opera production
- Production and costume design for feature length and short films
Teaching Philosophy
I believe that the creation of a theatrical work is a microcosm of the world. The ways in which we interact, conflict, negotiate and create on and off stage mirror the challenges of everyday life. Preparing students for an active and successful life in the professional theatre is an ideal setting for students to practice skills and to develop the critical thinking ability required to be effective leaders, artists and citizens of the world. I get great satisfaction from mentoring students and I hope that my classroom can be a window for them on my professional practice as a theatre artist and the state of the performing arts today.
The best part about teaching at Kean University
I love the diversity of the student body at Kean and my work as a faculty member in the Conservatory has introduced me to students who are incredibly bright, ambitious, talented and extraordinarily hard workers. I am also very lucky to be part of a true team of faculty members in the Conservatory who are consummate professionals, consistently supportive of each other and brilliant artists in their own right.
My students should know
I hail from Oklahoma, by way of Texas, and I spent all of my teen years in Toronto. I had the good fortune to live in a lot of different cultural environments as I grew up! I actually started in the business as an actor and I didn't really discover my love for design until I was a student in the drama department at UT Austin.