Bess Rowen

Bess Rowen is a theatre theorist, historian, and practitioner. Her work focuses on what she terms "affective stage directions," which are stage directions written in ways that engage the physical and emotional responses of future theatre makers. Her first book, The Lines Between the Lines: How Stage Directions Affect Embodiment, was published by University of Michigan Press in October 2021. Her next project stems from her work with the Transfeminisms working group at the American Society for Theatre Research, where she and her collaborators take up important issues of trans and non-binary representation in theatre and performance. While pursuing her doctorate at CUNY, she was the recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Public Humanities as well as a Graduate Center Dissertation Fellowship. She is a member of the Actors' Equity Association and has studied acting at Michael Howard Studios, The Berkshire Theatre Festival, and The Gaiety School of Acting in Ireland. She has directed, stage managed, and even done a little playwriting. She currently works as an Intimacy Choreographer and continues her training with Theatrical Intimacy Education. Bess also serves as the Performance Review Editor of The Eugene O'Neill Review and the Conference Planner for the American Theatre & Drama Society. Recent articles can be found in Modern Drama, Theatre Topics, the Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, and Theatre Journal, among others. Her avid interests include stage directions, intersectional Gender & Sexuality theory, trauma-informed practices, women playwrights, Irish theatre, theatre riots, and the representation of teenage girls on stage.

Education:

• B.A. Lehigh University, English and Theatre, minor in Psychology
• M.A. New York University, Performance Studies
• M.Phil. The Graduate Center, CUNY, Theatre
• Ph.D. The Graduate Center, CUNY, Theatre and Performance

Companies

• Visiting Assistant Professor Villanova University (2018)
• Digital Fellow CUNY, The Graduate Center (2014)
• Adjunct Professor SUNY Purchase (2013)
• Adjunct Associate Professor Pace University (2013)
• Associate Producer Fulcrum Theater (2010)
• Blogger The Huffington Post (2011 — 2018)
• President Doctoral Theater Students' Association (2013 — 2014)
• Adjunct Lecturer LaGuardia Community College (2013 — 2014)