Rachael Powles is a second-year PhD student in Theatre History and Performance Studies at the University of Washington. She is a theatre historian who specializes in late nineteenth and early twentieth century performance in the United States, with a special emphasis on the history of theatre pedagogy in higher education. Rachael's research considers how institutions like the university shape our embodied artistic practice, and how the systems developed in the late nineteenth century continue to influence how we learn theatre today. 

Rachael was worked as a dramaturg in the United States and Canada for ten years. She currently serves as the Resident Dramaturg at The Theater at Woodshill in Upstate New York, and has contributed dramaturgical support to UW mainstage productions.