Professor of Illustration and Graphic Design | Vermont State University Lyndon
Barclay Tucker is a force at Vermont State University’s Lyndon campus, where he’s established himself as faculty member with a distinctly creative flourish. He’s been there for over two decades teaching illustration and graphic design. One highlight of his time includes helping to develop the university’s successful Animation and Illustration program, which combines storytelling, design, and visual art.
Tucker earned his BFA in Fine Art from the University of Utah, an MA from Syracuse University, and an MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School. Before joining the Lyndon faculty, he worked as a freelance designer and illustrator while teaching part-time. He was applying for teaching positions around the country when Lyndon offered him a job. He’s been with the institution since.
This year, Tucker is bringing his creative juices to the stage through his role as an advisor and director of the Twilight Players. Though he is best known on campus for his work in the studio and classroom, theater has always been a part of his life. “It’s not a transition to theater, it’s a coming back to it,” he shared. He did a lot of acting, set design, and directing during his own high school and college years, including writing and directing one show in college, and writing a second, which was put on as a professional performance.
He’s stayed involved in theater, volunteering his illustration and design skills to Vermont Children’s Theater and the Lyndon program. After directing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with the Twilight Players last spring, Tucker proposed an original adaptation of Hamlet for the fall production. What emerged was the worst-ever production of Hamlet, called With Apologies to Shakespeare, Hamlet, It’s Tragic. The play is a comic reimagining of the original works. “It’s horrible, but in the best way,” Tucker said, laughing. “The actors play characters who are trying to put on Hamlet, and there are surprises around every corner.”
Tucker wrote the script over the summer and is directing a cast of 13 students, many of whom come from the Animation and Illustration program. The production is presented by the Twilight Players, the campus theater club, which Tucker advises. He credits junior Otto Mabley-Ward, the club’s president and a psychology major from Underhill, VT, with helping bring the project to life. “Everything I can’t do—which is a lot—Otto does,” Tucker said. “He’s been the producer, costume designer, and head stage manager.”
“Professor Tucker is an incredible director,” Otto said. “He’s made sure I’ve had a lot of leadership opportunities, including blocking a critical scene for the show. In the production, my role is to make sure everything clicks into place.” That responsibility isn’t foreign to Otto, who stepped into the role of club president in the spring and has worked tirelessly to grow student involvement in the organization. He actually recruited Professor Tucker into the role of club advisor and director as well.
“I’m excited for the great growth this group has had. We’ve grown to 27 members from 3 members in spring 2025 and I’m proud of all the hard work and how far everyone has come,” he added. “Everyone at VTSU Lyndon is incredibly supportive and I’ve loved trying out the theater and dance and performing on stage. I work a lot to pay for school and the faculty really understand that. I work at an afterschool program three hours a day, then I go to the theater to work on the play. I’m doing all the things I love to do here.”
The collaboration on the show has expanded beyond the stage. Students from the Communications Department are filming a mockumentary about the production, and Illustration students designed the show poster. “It’s amazing to watch students take something I imagined and push it even further,” Tucker noted. “They’ve run with it and made it something truly their own.”
Performances are this week, November 13-15 at 7 p.m. and November 16 at 2 p.m. in the Twilight Theater at VTSU Lyndon. No advance ticket purchase is necessary, as admission is by donation.
Looking ahead, Tucker is slotted to direct the campus musical in the spring. Between his classes, creative projects, and family life—he and his wife of 28 years have four children, including one currently performing in the show—he stays busy. But for Tucker, the work is deeply fulfilling. “What I love about VTSU Lyndon is the trust and opportunity the school gives us,” he said. “They’ve allowed me to build a program, try new things, and now return to a part of my creative life that I’ve always loved.”
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