At the end of this semester, we say farewell to Tamara L. Honesty, associate professor of scenic design, who departs Kent State for a new opportunity at her alma mater West Virginia University.
A native Ohioan, Honesty holds a B.A. in theatre from Wilmington College and an M.F.A. in scenic design from West Virginia University. She joined the Kent State faculty in 2016 and has been instrumental in the School of Theatre and Dance's design technology and production area, teaching and mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students. She has also been deeply involved in the College of the Arts' Oscar Ritchie Scholars program and on the College of the Arts's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism council. Honesty is also an active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), regularly presenting at the regional and national conferences and serving in various capacities on the organization's national board.
As a professional scenic designer, Honesty's work has been seen nationally and internationally. Her designs have been on stages from New York City (Off-Off-Broadway) to the Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton to the University of Illinois and Western Illinois University. She enjoys designing theatre for young audiences and has designed for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's Educational Touring Company, 5XÉçÇø, Wright State University, Human Race Theatre, University of Cincinnati CCM, and more.
An accomplished props designer and artisan, some of Honesty's prop designs were highlighted in the book she co-authored, "The Fake Food Cookbook: Props You Can't Eat For Theatre, Film and TV."
In addition to designing scenery, Honesty has been a scenic artist for River City Scenic and 3DX Scenic Studios where she was also a project manager. Examples of her painting talents have been cruising the world on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines, and on display at various corporate theatre events including the Longaberger conventions.
Congratulations on your new chapter, Tammy! We will miss you!