Dr. Elizabeth Coen

Assistant Professor and Head of the M.A. in Theatre Studies

Dr. Coen is a scholar of theatre history, dramaturgy, and theatre pedagogy. A specialist in community-based program design, Dr. Coen has worked with numerous organizations to develop and implement arts-based programming to support the health, well-being, and academic achievement of young people. Prior to her arrival in Houston, she worked as Education Director of the Intiman Theatre in Seattle and managed Seattle Children’s Theatre’s creative partnership with Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools. Her interdisciplinary research and applied theatre work, which bridges theatrical practice with positive psychology, has been presented at Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA-USA), the American Alliance for Theatre & Education, and the Mid-America Theatre Conference, among other venues. She serves on the Executive Committee of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) and is an affiliate of the HEALTH Center for Addictions Research and Cancer Prevention at the University of Houston. Her articles can be found in Theatre History Studies, the Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, and the anthology Teaching Performance Practices in Remote and Hybrid Spaces edited by Jeanmarie Higgins and Elisha Clark Halpin. A proud alumna of AmeriCorps, she is a champion of public service for the public good.