Rachel E. Bauer, Ph.D.is a scholar, director, dramaturg, and performer, but first and foremost, she is an educator. Rachel is the Coordinator of Academic Theatre Arts and Assistant Professor in Theatre Arts in the Department of Media and Theatre Arts at Sacred Heart University (SHU). She earned a Ph.D. ('18) and M.A. ('13) in Theatre from the University of Missouri, with minors in College Teaching and Women’s and Gender Studies, and B.A.s ('10) in English and Theatre, with a concentration in Acting and Directing, from Rowan University. In her current role at SHU, Rachel oversees the BA and Minor in Theatre Arts, and teaches courses in theatre history, script analysis, writing, and other areas of theatre studies.

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In her research and teaching, Rachel focuses on highlighting the transferable nature of theatre pedagogy and theatre education, focusing on the skills gained through theatre training that are useful both on the stage and across many disciplines. She hopes to continue to develop the interdisciplinary relationships between the Arts and STEM fields to advocate for a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, ARTS, and mathematics) approach to education and communication strategies. Her other research area focuses on gender and theatre, specially looking at the experiences of women’s experiences in theatre and theatre in higher education. Originally from southern New Jersey, she now resides in Connecticut with her family.