Assistant Professor of Scenic Design, Theatre Arts
Office: CPA CK01
Phone: 501-916-3291
Email: kdauenhauer@ualr.edu
Karen Dauenhauer specializes in scenic design and artistry. Prior to her time at UA Little Rock, she served as Technical Director and Clinical Assistant Professor of technical theatre at Coker University in South Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a Minor in Music from Mississippi University for Women and a Master of Fine Arts in Scenic Design from the University of Georgia. Karen first became involved with theatre when she played a minor role in a community college production of The Wizard of Oz at the age of 12. She instantly knew at that young age that theatre would play an important role in her life. Throughout her teenage years, she spent much of her free time volunteering at a local community theatre. Her past credits include director, choreographer, technician, and actor; all of which have influenced her work as a designer and broadened her knowledge of the field. Karen has also been very involved with the Southeastern Theatre Conference’s Annual Convention, serving on four different occasions as a member of the Operations Team, the group of individuals who help set up and keep the convention running smoothly. Karen’s interest in teaching also began at an early age. Having taken dance classes throughout her teenage years, her first job out of high school was as a ballet instructor at a local dance studio. As an undergraduate student, Karen worked as a fitness instructor at her university’s recreation center. During that time, she also started her own dance studio, organizing and teaching ballet classes to children in her local community who were unable to afford lessons from larger studios in the area. This naturally progressed to an interest in teaching at a college level. After receiving her B.A. in Theatre with a Minor in Music from MUW, Karen worked professionally at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. Following her time in Oklahoma, she began applying to graduate school programs, ultimately choosing to pursue her M.F.A. in Scenic Design at UGA. Karen received considerable academic recognition throughout her undergraduate and graduate studies, being nominated to join two prestigious honor societies, Phi Kappa Phi and Mortar Board, and serving as a Student VP for the former. During her senior year, she received the MUW College of Arts & Sciences Theatre Student of the Year Award. At MUW, she remained on the President’s and Dean’s Lists while routinely taking 18-22 credit hours per semester. She graduated with a 3.93 GPA (Magna Cum Laude). While at UGA, she was continuously praised for her hard work, being one of the few design-focused students asked to TA a class during her final year in the program. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Another one of Karen’s passions is women’s leadership. While working for Coker University, she participated in the inaugural Women’s Leadership Academy through the South Carolina Women in Higher Education organization and graduated in February of 2023. In her spare time, Karen likes to take on freelance design work as well as art commissions. Her scenic design credits include The Spitfire Grill (Coker University), Little Women (Coker University), and She Kills Monsters (University of Georgia).
