LeRoy Stoner

Education

MA, Theatre Lighting Design, Indiana University
MA, Arts Administration, Indiana University

Biography

In September of 1980 LeRoy Stoner joined the UW-Milwaukee School of Fine Arts Theatre Department where he served as an educator and administrator until May 2019 when he retired. During thirty-nine years at UWM he served as Chair of the UWM Theatre Department, an appointment he held non-consecutively for over seventeen years.  Although his principal focus was on leadership and administration, he taught lighting design and technology, as well as classes in theatre management.  He provided lighting design and/or technical direction for numerous plays and operas at UWM.  Off campus he designed lighting for many Milwaukee area theatres including the former Melody Top, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, First Stage and Theatre Gigante. 

From 2002 through 2009 he served as Assistant Dean of Facilities where he was responsible for the oversight of the multiple buildings and venues that comprise the Peck School of the Arts. This assignment began with the opening of the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, a building remodeled to serve large ensembles of the PSOA Music Department.  During his time as Assistant Dean he also represented the Peck School in the renovation and build out of its footprint in the historic Kenilworth Square Building. The mixed-use facility, developed privately but owned by the State of Wisconsin, was transformed during 2004-2005.  When both Zelazo and Kenilworth Square opened, he was instrumental in establishing use and procedure policies as well as scheduling and contracting community rentals of the facilities.  His most recent facilities challenge was overseeing reconstruction and refurbishing of the theatre building in the aftermath of the devastating fire of April 2017.  

He was active regionally and nationally in The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) where he served as Midwest Region Chair and as National Vice President for Sections and Chapters.  During his career he was instrumental in bringing the national conference of USITT to Milwaukee twice, once serving as Chair and the second as Chair of Local Programming. He was made a Fellow of the Institute in March 2000. In 2019 was honored with a Gold Medallion by Region 3 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for his participation and service during fifty years of activities. 

He earned a B.A. in History from Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN 1967, and a M.A. in Theatre from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 1980 where he also completed coursework for a M.A. Arts Administration, (ABT).