Special Guest Speakers

Summer Scholars On Stage is excited to welcome special guest speakers and workshop presenters who bring professional experience, creativity, and practical insight to our students. These guests will share their expertise in theatre, voice acting, technical theatre, performance, and the creative industries.

2026 Guest Speakers & Workshop Presenters

Jay Randall

Jay Randall

A creative director at Paramount Brand Studio and its Skydance company, Randall spent part of his career as a New York-based actor and then teacher and audition coach, assisting actors in booking work both on and off Broadway, in major films and graduate acting programs. A contributor to a 29-time Emmy-winning reality show, he is a Starkville High School graduate, earning a BFA at the University of Southern Mississippi and MFA at the American Conservatory Theater. He is an alumnus of Summer Scholars On Stage.

Jake Phillips

Jake Phillips

A Mississippi-based voice actor and coach living in Starkville, Phillips’ voice has been featured on many major networks in the U.S. and U.K. in various voiceover genres. He has experience in TV and radio commercials, trailers, explainer videos, audiobooks, long-form narrations, radio imaging, museum displays and others. Conducting workshops on the techniques of voice acting, he also speaks on how to get into “the business.”

Paula Mabry

Paula Mabry

A longtime theater teacher for Starkville High School, Mabry’s productions have won numerous awards. In addition, she has won awards as a current director with Starkville Community Theatre and has been the Summer Scholars production director for 25 years. An instructor in MSU’s Department of Communication, Media, and Theatre, she draws on her years of experience in working with students on voice and articulation.

Greg Thorn

Greg Thorn

Currently an MSU assistant teaching professor of theatre, lighting and sound design, Thorn also works with annual student productions of the Department of Communication, Media, and Theatre. He enjoys making use of his technical theater expertise to teach students the basics of light and sound design, and also advanced light design.