
Fields of Interest
Biography
Scott Magelssen is a Donald E. Petersen Fellow, Professor, Head of History, Theory, and Criticism, and Undergraduate Coordinator 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. His most recent book, Performing Flight: From the Barnstormers to Space Tourism, was published by the University of Michigan Press in 2020. He is the author of Simming: Participatory Performance and the Making of Meaning (2014) and 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.
Research & Creative Work
Representative Research
- Performing Flight: From the Barnstormers to Space Tourism. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2020.
- 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
Research Advised: Graduate Dissertations
- Shelby Lunderman: Cruel and Unusual Performance: (Re)producing Capital Punishment on the U.S. Stage
- 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
- Robert Wighs: Alaska Native Theatre: Cultural Resurgence and Reception in Post-Statehood Alaska
- Monica Cortes Viharo: Trauma Drama: The Translocal Legibility of Trauma and Utopia in Contemporary Feminist Performance
- Jason Eckard - Tenth and Eleventh Century Liturgical Drama and the Rise of the Latin Christian Church
Courses Taught
Autumn 2020
Autumn 2019
Spring 2019
Autumn 2018
Autumn 2017
Winter 2017
Autumn 2016
Winter 2016
Autumn 2015
Spring 2015
Winter 2015
Autumn 2014
Winter 2014
Additional Courses
Spring 2017 - Museum 558, Museum Theatre and Performance
Resources & Related Links
Affiliations
News & Press
Related News
- New Year, New Faculty & Staff Appointments in the School of Drama - October 8, 2020
- 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
Related Events
- Edinburgh 2020 Study Abroad Q & A - December 9, 2019 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm
- Coffee and Concepts: The Face of God - October 18, 2019 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
- Maple & Vine Lobby Talk: The Push for Pastness - January 29, 2017 - 1:00pm to 1:30pm
- Performing Arts Lectures: The Arts and Humanities in the STEM-Focused Academy - October 25, 2016 - 7:30pm
- Skies Over Seattle - June 3, 2016 to June 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.” - January 22, 2016 - 5:00pm
- Some are Born Green, Some Achieve Greeness: Protest Theatre and Environmental Activism - October 15, 2013 - 7:30pm