Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies / Associate Professor, Theatre History / Donald E. Petersen FellowPh. D. University of MinnestotaMA University of MinnesotaBA Augsburg College, Minneapolis206-616-9792magelss@uw.eduHUT 107Fields of Interest Museum Studies/Museology Performance Studies Theater History Theory/Criticism Background and ExperienceSummaryScott Magelssen is a Donald E. Petersen Fellow, Associate Professor, and Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies in the School of Drama. He holds a PhD in Theatre History, Theory, and Dramatic Literature from the University of Minnesota, and teaches Theatre History and Performance Studies. He currently serves as the Secretary of The American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR). His current project is called Performing Flight: From the Barnstormers to Space Tourism (forthcoming from the University of Michigan Press). His most recent book, Simming: Participatory Performance and the Making of Meaning, was published by Michigan in spring 2014. He is the author of Living History Museums (2007), and co-editor of Enacting History (2011), Theatre Historiography: Critical Interventions (2010), and Querying Difference in Theatre History (2007). He is the Editor of Southern Illinois University Press's Theater in the Americas series and co-edits the website theater-historiography.org with Henry Bial. Professional Affiliations: American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR); Mid-America Theatre Conference (MATC); American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS); Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE); International Museum Theatre Alliance (IMTAL) Research & Creative Work Representative Research Scott Magelssen and Shelby Lunderman. “Tactical Slowness: Fomenting a Culture of Mental Health in the Academy.” Reversing the Cult of Speed in Higher Education: The Slow Movement in the Arts and Humanities. Ed. Jonathan Chambers and Stephannie Gearhart (Routledge, 2018). Axel Andersson and Scott Magelssen, “Performing a Viking History of America: The 1893 Voyage and Display of a Viking Longship at the Columbus Quadricentennial.” Theatre Journal 69.2 (June 2017), pp. 175-195. Scott Magelssen, “Our Academic Discipline is Making Us Sicker.” Special Section: ASTR’s 60th Anniversary. Theatre Survey 57.3 (September, 2016) 389-394. Scott Magelssen, “White-Skinned Gods: Thor Heyerdahl, The Kon-Tiki Museum, and the Racial Theory of Polynesian Origins.” TDR: The Drama Review 60.1 [T229] (Winter, 2016). “Living History Museums: The Power and Perils of Performing History,” a lecture delivered at the Arts Club of Chicago, in conjunction with the Annie Smith exhibition. January, 2015 Scott Magelssen. Simming: Participatory Performance and the Making of Meaning. U of Michigan Press, 2014. Scott Magelssen and Rhona Justice-Malloy, editors. Enacting History. U of Alabama Press, 2011. Scott Magelssen and Henry Bial, editors. Theater Historiography: Critical Interventions. U of Michigan Press, 2010. Scott Magelssen and Ann Haugo, editors. Querying Difference in Theatre History. Cambridge Scholars, 2007. Scott Magelssen. Living History Museums: Undoing History Through Performance. Scarecrow, 2007. Representative Conferences “Spinning in Zero G: Playing Astronaut as Touristic Experience …and Theatre Research,” Mid-America Theatre Conference (MATC), Milwaukee, 2018. “Performing the American Astronaut: From Fighter Pilot to Cold Warrior.” Innovation Series. University of Houston. March, 2017. Research Advised Christopher Goodson - Performing Precarity: Experimental Theater, Video, and Live Political Art with Undocumented Immigrants. Dissertation, University of Washington, 2017. Susan Finque: "Re-story(y)ing Theatre History in the Americas: Professional Players and the Callao Contract of 1599". Dissertation, University of Washington, 2017. Sarah Marsh. "Never Mere Observation: Performance, Technology, and the Act of Looking." Diss. U of Washington, 2017. Carlos Salazar, The Memory of the Islands: Cultural Negotiations and their Remains in (Post)Colonial Costa Rica (In progress) Shelby Lunderman: Cruel and Unusual Performance: (Re)producing Capital Punishment on the U.S. Stage (In progress) Robert Wighs: Alaska Native Theatre: Cultural Resurgence and Reception in Post-Statehood Alaska (In progress) Monica Cortes Viharo: Trauma Drama: The Translocal Legibility of Trauma and Utopia in Contemporary Feminist Performance (In progress) Jason Eckard - Tenth and Eleventh Century Liturgical Drama and the Rise of the Latin Christian Church (In progress) School of Drama Productions and Events Edinburgh 2020 Study Abroad Q & A - Dec 9 2019 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm Coffee and Concepts: The Face of God - Oct 18 2019 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm Maple & Vine Lobby Talk: The Push for Pastness - Jan 29 2017 - 1:00pm to 1:30pm Performing Arts Lectures: The Arts and Humanities in the STEM-Focused Academy - Oct 25 2016 - 7:30pm Skies Over Seattle - Jun 3 2016 to Jun 5 2016 Henry Bial: Jesus Christ, Broadway Star - May 20 2016 - 4:00pm “A Racist Love Note: Stereotypes and Caricatures in early 20th Century Valentine’s Day Cards.” - Jan 22 2016 - 5:00pm Some are Born Green, Some Achieve Greeness: Protest Theatre and Environmental Activism - Oct 15 2013 - 7:30pm Courses Taught Winter 2020 DRAMA 101 A: Introduction to the Theatre DRAMA 600 B: Independent Study or Research Autumn 2019 DRAMA 101 A: Introduction to the Theatre DRAMA 571 A: Problems in Theatre History Research Spring 2019 DRAMA 587 A: Seminar in Dramatic Theory Winter 2019 DRAMA 101 A: Introduction to the Theatre DRAMA 600 B: Independent Study or Research Autumn 2018 DRAMA 373 A: Theatre History III Spring 2018 DRAMA 373 A: Theatre History III DRAMA 573 A: Problems in Theatre History Research Winter 2018 DRAMA 372 A: Theatre History II DRAMA 401 A: Majors Seminar Autumn 2017 DRAMA 372 A: Theatre History II Spring 2017 DRAMA 371 A: Theatre History I DRAMA 577 A: Seminar In Theatre History: Dark Tourism Winter 2017 DRAMA 372 A: Theatre History II Autumn 2016 DRAMA 494 A: Special Studies In Theatre And Drama: The Big Ones: Pulitzers DRAMA 585 A: Seminar In Dramatic Theory: Emerging Discourses in Theatre/Performance Studies II: Spring 2016 DRAMA 573 A: Problems in Theatre History Research Winter 2016 DRAMA 372 A: Theatre History II DRAMA 571 A: Problems In Theatre History Research: Hoc Est Corpus Meum/This is My Body: Performance and Embodiment in the Early Middle Ages Autumn 2015 DRAMA 371 A: Theatre History I DRAMA 494 A: Special Studies In Theatre And Drama: Community based theatre Spring 2015 DRAMA 587 A: Seminar In Dramatic Theory: Emerging Discourses in Theatre and Performance Studies Winter 2015 DRAMA 372 A: Theatre History II Autumn 2014 DRAMA 494 A: Special Studies In Theatre And Drama: Adaptation DRAMA 585 A: Seminar In Dramatic Theory: Foundations in Performance Studies Spring 2014 DRAMA 494 B: Special Studies In Theatre And Drama: Pulitzer Prize winning plays Winter 2014 DRAMA 372 A: Theatre History II DRAMA 573 A: Problems In Theatre History Research: Documentary Theatre Autumn 2013 DRAMA 494 A: Special Studies In Theatre And Drama: Performing the Past: Living History Museums, Re-enactments, Pageantry Additional CoursesSpring 2017 - Museum 558, Museum Theatre and Performance Resources & Related Linkstheater-historiography.orgScott Magelssen's academia.edu pageSIU Press's Theater in the Americas series News & Press Related News Scott Magelssen awarded Petersen Endowed Fellowship (January 8, 2019) Unearthing Seattle’s Deeper Histories through Art and Humanities (October 9, 2018) Summer 2018: What our students, faculty, and staff are up to! (June 12, 2018) Meet a BA: Emma Halliday (May 29, 2018) New year, new faculty appointments at UW Drama (September 28, 2017) Skies Over Seattle featured in A&S Perspectives (May 4, 2016) Performance Studies Research Group Lecture (January 19, 2016) Members of PhD program participate in panel addressing the realities of being Muslim today (January 12, 2016) Summer Plans 2015 (June 8, 2015) Performance Studies Research Group Fosters Cross-disciplinary Conversations (May 7, 2015) Building Connections Between Theatre and Museums - Scott Magelssen (March 12, 2015) Scott Magelssen Profiled in Columns Magazine (September 17, 2014) Problematic Simulations - Scott Magelssen (May 5, 2014) Associate Professor Scott Magelssen Discusses Forthcoming Book (March 19, 2014) UW Rocks ASTR (January 14, 2014) Share: Print PDF