Melissa Rynn Porterfield, Ph.D.

Melissa taught previously at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, the University of Pittsburgh, Miami University, and Seton Hall University.

Professionally, she has worked at theatres across the country, including, The American Repertory Theatre at Harvard, Boston Ballet, Huntington Theatre, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Nebraska Theatre Caravan, Trustus Theatre, The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Boston Shakespeare in the Park, Boston Theatre Marathon, Target Margin, Todo con Nada, and Weathervane Theatre. As part of her dissertation on American Shakespeare Festivals she worked with Shakespeare and Company and The American Shakespeare Center.

She has published chapters in Conspicuous Work: Theatre, Performance and History in Process and The American as Foreigner on Stage: Portraits of the United States in International Drama, as well as work in journals such as Theatre Survey and Text and Presentation.