Dr. Hugh K. Long is Professor of Theatre and English at Athens State University and serves as the Artistic Director of the Athenian Players. Since 2012, he has directed thirty-seven productions for Athens State University through the Athenian Players and the Alabama Center for the Arts. Notable productions include Next to Normal, Proof, Evil Dead: The Musical, Romeo and Juliet, Green Day’s American Idiot, La Dama Duende, Picnic, The Laramie Project, and the world premiere of The Rocket Men. Dr. Long has taught theatre history, dramatic literature, acting, and stage combat at institutions including Tufts University, Eastern Connecticut State University, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Dean College, and Northern Essex Community College.  His research focuses on the historical application of theatrical violence in early modern English and Spanish theatre and performance practices, as well as on physical approaches to acting pedagogy. His teaching covers a wide range of topics, including Modern European and American Theatre, Early Modern Dramatic Literature, Classical Greek Tragedy, Postcolonial Theatre, and Dramatic Theory.