Gregory D. Kunesh has been summoned from retirement to accept an interim position as chair and Regents’ Professor of the OU Department of Musical Theatre.

Kunesh served on the OU fine arts faculty 1975 to 2005, when he retired as chairman and professor emeritus of the Weitzenhoffer Department of Musical Theatre.

“I deeply appreciate the willingness of Dr. Greg Kunesh to step in to lead our musical theater department,” OU President David Boren said. “He is truly the architect for the nationally recognized excellence of this program and will keep our momentum going until a permanent director is selected.”

“Greg is recognized across the country as a driving force in musical theatre higher education, said Rich Taylor, who recently vacated the post of director of OU’s musical theatre program to become interim dean of the Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts. “His leadership, expertise, recruiting ability and passion have made OU’s program one of the premiere programs, anywhere. We welcome him back with open arms in this time of transition.”

Kunesh and prominent Broadway and London theatre producer Max Weitzenhoffer, an OU alumnus and former OU professor of drama and musical theatre who now serves as vice chairman of the OU Board of Regents, founded the Department of Musical Theatre in 1994.