Exploring her passions for outer space, wildlife, theatre

Theatre Professor, NASA volunteer Beate Czogalla educates students  inside and outside the classroom

Beate Czogalla does it all. She is an associate professor of theatre design, a NASA Solar System Ambassador for Central Georgia, a scuba diver, a wildlife rescuer, a writer for The Union Recorder, a native to Germany and an advisor. She seems to do it all.

Czogalla earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in theatre from Gieseen University, an exclusive theatre school, in her home country of Germany.  She was awarded a scholarship from the government to fund her schooling at Virginia Tech, where she earned her fine arts degree.

“I had my first paying theatre job second semester, and been working professionally since then,” Czogalla said.

Since high school, Czogalla has been passionate about the technical life in theatre.

“I’ve been involved in theatre a long time, my family is really supporting of the performing arts,” she said. “In high school I joined a theatre group and found I had a real knack for it.”

Czogalla works with theatre majors, teaching them the ways involving scene decorations, stage, lights, props, scenic painting and anything else  involved in the craftsmanship that goes into a theatre production. She covers everything except costumes and makeup.

Czogalla also teaches theatrical heritage, stagecraft, stage management, advanced lighting design and senior seminar classes as well as organizing the sophomore theatre practicum, production practicum and an advance production practicum.

Czogalla is extremely passionate about her interests. With one of those interests being space exploration, she is a certified NASA Solar System Ambassador for Central Georgia and writes a bi-weekly column for The Union Recorder.

“(Theatre) involves almost any topic,” Czogalla said, “there is literally no major you cannot find in theatre, we are sorta this weird catch-all that has all majors somehow.”

This is why she feels working with NASA and being an associate professor of theatre design isn’t that different.

“I’ve always been interested in space explorations since I was a little kid,” Czogalla said. She aspires to continue to do all of her interests, no matter how time consuming. To become an Ambassador for NASA in Central Georgia, she had to go through training and give up a lot of spare time. Her work with NASA is volunteer work.  After being certified, her job is to educate anyone willing to learn and teach.

Her bi-weekly column called “Our Space” has been running for the past six years. It covers topics of space exploration current and from the past. She writes the columns during her spare time among the many other things she has going on.  Her time spent on the column is voluntary and works voluntarily because this is “something I am passionate about and there is a need for education,” Czogalla said.

Besides working night and day with NASA and the Department of Theatre, she also is a certified scuba diver. When Georgia College provides a class for scuba diving, she assists the professor with the course.

Czogalla is all over the place, living and working in areas that interest her and things she is passionate about.