Seriousplay

Stan Brown

Stan Brown is the Inaugural W. Rockwell Wirtz Professor of Acting in the Theatre department at the School of Communication. A teacher, voice/dialect coach, and director, Brown received the core of his classical actor training from the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C. His areas of expertise are acting, the entertainment industry, improvisation, and voice.

Brown has ongoing explorations into perceptions and impacts of ‘culture’ on voice and speech training for the actor. He has also worked as a professional actor for over 30 years in American and British theatre, film, television, and radio.

Recently, Brown made his Broadway debut in the principal cast in the musical, Water for Elephants at the Imperial Theatre in New York.

Explore our faculty directory

Greg Berlanti ('94)

The Emmy-nominated film and television screenwriter and director is also Hollywood’s most prolific TV producer—he holds the record for most live-action scripted series airing concurrently. Credits include The Flight Attendant, Love, Simon, Dawson’s Creek, Brothers & Sisters, You, and many more.

“I often say that Northwestern is the first period of my life that I would repeat—not to change anything, but I loved it so much I’d do it all over again,” he said. “I found my calling at Northwestern.” 

See our noteworthy alumni

Mel McDaniel, Human Communications Sciences Major

When I got to Northwestern, I thought I’d work on language with kids with autism and other learning disabilities,” said human communication sciences major Mel McDaniel. “Then I learned what a wide range there is in speech-language pathology, with all the different populations you can treat. So I thought it’d be interesting to work with people with aphasia. Now I’m working with kids with hearing loss, and I really like that too. A cousin of mine has cerebral palsy, and there are language interventions in that area. Most recently I’ve gotten interested in treatment for stuttering and dysphasia. I can go in all these different directions. I love the diversity of being able to treat different populations and getting to know a lot of different fields before settling on one.”

McDaniel is currently enjoying her work in the Early Intervention Research Group. The lab is led by professor Megan Roberts, who received a grant to study early communication interventions in toddlers with hearing loss. “We have our intervention group and our control group,” McDaniel explains. “I’m the recorder, so I collect videos—hundreds for each kid. I’m blinded to their conditions so I can observe how they improve, whether or not they’ve received intervention.”

Outside her major, McDaniel is minoring in psychology and pursuing a module in childhood communication. But even as her academic work pulls her in multiple directions, she finds time to devote to Northwestern’s Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance. A member of the Maidu tribe, she cochaired NAISA’s annual spring powwow and serves on its knowledge keepers committee, which works to preserve the group’s archives. She also honors her Mexican and Black heritage through work with other campus cultural groups, including the Black Mentorship Program and For Members Only.

Meet some current students