Faculty

SUSAN RUSSELL Acting and Theatre History
The Pennsylvania State University
101B Arts Building
University Park, PA 16802-2900
(814) 865-7586
sbr13@psu.edu

Susan Russell joined the faculty in 2006 just prior to graduating "magna cum laude" from the MA/PhD theatre studies program at Florida
State University. She received her M.A. degree from the Florida State University School of Theatre in 2003 and her B.A. in Theatre from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC, in 1979.

Susan has acted on- and off-Broadway and in regional theatre, maintaining a career as a professional acting, voice, and musical theatre coach. While performing for five years in Phantom of the Opera, Susan was an artist/teacher for New York Offstage where she created, developed, and implemented workshops in musical theatre education and performance. Susan also created and implemented professional education and apprentice programs for New York City Opera, Cleveland Lyric Opera, Jupiter Theatre, Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatrical Training, and Seaside Music Theatre.

As a playwright, her works Olympia and Present Perfect have been seen off-off Broadway at the Shurin Theatre and the HERE Theatre in Soho. Her current play, Severe Clear, which was a semi-finalist in the 2006 Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center Playwriting Conference, is in pre-production in New York City.

In 2007 Russell created the new works festival Cultural Conversations, which is the only university new play festival devoted to fostering and promoting new plays based on themes of diversity. This festival brings playwrights from across the country to work with Penn State students in creating a specific kind of artistic engagement for both student and audience alike.

Member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA), American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA), and The Dramatist Guild.