Michelle Cowin Gibbs

Michelle Cowin Gibbs is assistant professor of Theater at St. Olaf College. She directs and teaches courses in beginning and advanced acting, script analysis, and early 20th century Black theater. Her scholarly and solo performance research interests include a spectrum of interdisciplinary studies in Black performance, media studies, and theater history. Recent solo performance works include: A Thing Held in Full View, a commentary on race, gender, and women's reproductive rights in Texas; Full Blunt Trauma: A Mother's Performance in Empathy, a feminist ethnographic piece that explores the relationship among motherhood, cruelty, and forgiveness; and Dancing with my/Self: The Selfie Monologues, an exploration of selfie culture that self-reflexively challenges how we attempt to hone-fetishize-dominate self-perceptions. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for Brownbody, a repertory movement arts company located in the Twin Cities. Gibbs is a PhD candidate (ABD) in Theater at Bowling Green State University. She holds an MFA in Acting from the University of California, Irvine and a BA in Theater Performance from Western Michigan University.