John Staszel, PhD

John Paul Staszel is an Associate Professor at Pennsylvania Western University where he directs departmental productions and teaches courses in theatre history, dramatic literature, acting, and communication. JP completed his doctorate from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in the spring of 2017 in the field of theatre and performance studies. His dissertation was titled Beyond the Thong: Contexts, Representations, and the Performance of Erotic Masculinities in Male Strip Show(s). JP also earned his MA in Theatre at BGSU as well as completing certificates in both Performance Studies as well as Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

JP has trained with several renowned theatre companies and artists including Pilobolus, Inlet Dance Theatre, and NACL (North American Cultural Laboratory), Tim Miller and Andrew Paleamo. JP’s research interests include Physical Theatre, Devised Theatre, Experimental Movement Training for Actors, Body Studies, and Performativity of Gender and Sexuality. He has published in Cultural Studies - Critical Methodologies (CSCM), the Journal of the Communication, Speech & Theatre Association of North Dakota, and Etudes. His research has been presented and performed at conferences such as the National Communication Association (NCA), Mid America Theatre Conference (MATC), the Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), the Association of Theatre Movement Educators (ATME), the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (QI), and the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC).