Kellyn Johnson is a Regent’s Special Fellow and doctoral candidate in the Department of Theater and Dance with a Feminist Studies Doctoral Emphasis. Her dissertation engages in a feminist analysis of alternative directorial practices, focusing on the impact of rehearsal methodology on radical performance. Her additional research interests include gender theory, US theatre history, horror, community/applied theatre, and Native American performance. In her research she utilizes methodologies such as ethnography, oral history/interviews, archival investigation, and practice based research.

Exploring the intersection of scholarship and practice, with emphases in performance theory and directing, Kellyn received her MA from King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her dissertationInvisible Performance established a methodology for Practice Based Research through the combination of the Scientific Method, Anthropological Ethnography, and Directing Practice. She pursued her BA at The College of William and Mary in Virginia with Majors in Theatre and Literature and received High Honors for her thesis project, Her Eye Discourses: Answering the Female Gaze.

In addition to several articles currently under review, she has been a featured contributor on re/visionist a feminist scholarship e-journal, published two Encyclopedia articles concerning Theatre History and Commedia dell Arte, and published the article “PMS Isn’t Real: And Other Lessons From Jennifer’s Body” which examines the feminist politics of horror films via the textual analysis of the 2009 film Jennifer’s Body in the e international film journal Jura Gentium Cinema. She has presented at the American Society for Theatre Research, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, National Women’s Studies Association, Comparative Drama, Conference, Popular Culture Association, and Eugene O‘Neill Society conferences. Kellyn remains an active member of these organizations and served as the 2012 Vice President and 2013 President of the ASTR Graduate Student Caucus.

Recent Directing credits include Katie and Frank (UCSB, 2013), Eurydice (Assistant Director, UCSB 2013), SPARK (UCSB, 2012), Toussaint (UCSB 2011), The White Uniform (UCSB 2010), She Stoops to Conquer (Assistant Director, UCSB 2010), Reflections-Living Isla Vista (UCSB 2011), Death of a Salesman (London 2009), Ordo Pascalis (London 2009), The Changeling-Excerpts (RADA 2009), Taking the Arse Out of It (RADA, 2009), and Desire=Destruction (2009).

Kellyn has extensive experience directing and teaching drama for students in primary and secondary education. She has led one-week musical workshops for children 5-14 emphasizing creativity and self confidence, written drama curriculums for summer camps, developed audition workshops, mentored interns in stage management, costume design, and educational drama, coached seniors on College admission auditions, and created and moderated a course for High School Students in alternative theatre.

At UCSB Kellyn has been a teaching Assistant for Play Analysis, Latin American Theatre History , African and Caribbean Theatre History, History of Modern Dance , Fundamentals of Design, Performance of the Human Body,  and Art & life (in the Art Department). Additionally, she has taught Introduction to Acting (THTR 5) and Nuestra Voz (THTR 187TB), a summer course that pairs UCSB students with Isla Vista youth to write and produce original theatre.