DR. ELIZABETH COEN
Assistant Professor and Head of the M.A. in Theatre Studies
Dr. Coen is a scholar of theatre history, dramaturgy, and pedagogy. A specialist in community- based program design, she has worked with numerous organizations to realize initiatives that support the health, wellbeing, and academic achievement of young people. Prior to her arrival in Houston, she managed the development and delivery of arts-in-health programming for Seattle Children’s Theatre’s partnership with Kaiser Permanente and served as Education Director of the Intiman Theatre. Her interdisciplinary research and applied theatre work 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 is a founding member and chair of the TYA/USA Research and Scholarship Working Group and an affiliate faculty member of the UH HEALTH Center for Addictions Research and Cancer Prevention. Her essays can be found in the journals Theatre History Studies, Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, and Performing Arts Resources as well as books including Teaching Performance Practices in Remote and Hybrid Spaces and Dramaturgies of the Real World (forthcoming). In 2025, Dr. Coen received the university’s Teaching Excellence Award. A proud alumna of AmeriCorps, she is a champion of public service for the public good.
Education
MFA, Brooklyn College
BA, Montclair State University
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