Dr. Christiana Molldrem Harkulich is a critically acclaimed Director and Dramaturg who works across professional and educational theatre. Her research interests include: Indigenous Performance in North America, Decolonial Theory, Drag Performance, Musical Theatre, and Professional Wrestling. She currently teaches in the Theatre department at Eastern Illinois University, where she is also affiliated faculty in Film Studies, Latin American and Latinx Studies, and Women and Gender Studies programs. She currently serves as an Artistic Director at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Il. To learn more about Dr. Christiana, please visit: www.DrChristiana.com
Why did you decide to go to graduate school?
My undergraduate program was very focused on practice and entrepreneurship, and I didn't really realize that Theatre Historian was a potential career path for me (despite doing an honors thesis that was what I would now call a practice as research grounded theatre history project on the playwriting in the colonies and early American republic). When I figured out that I wanted to go to grad school, it was with a passion to really dig deep into theatre history and theatre in general. I loved the idea that I could potentially turn this into a career of teaching, making art, and thinking deeply about theatre.
Why did you choose to pursue your degree at Pitt?
The University of Pittsburgh's Theatre and Performance Studies program had a really fantastic placement rate, and also encouraged students to explore practice and research. It was one of the few programs where I could get coursework and a degree designation in a practical field (my Special Option is in directing). I also enjoyed the city, at the time it was incredibly affordable to live in Pittsburgh. I also enjoyed that I was able to take coursework in pedagogy and teach and develop courses as a graduate student.
How did the degree program help prepare you for your career?
First and foremost, I got to think and learn with incredible people, both the faculty and my colleagues in the program. The friendships and professional relationships we made together in the Cathedral of Learning continue in my career today. In terms of teaching, I developed a course on Global Drag Performance that I've now taught at three different schools, and I was able to develop the whole course and learn about the ins and outs of how to attract students to classes. Graduate students at Pitt are given a lot of opportunities to do service and hold leadership, and, while I might not have realized it at the time, sitting on committees and in faculty meetings was an education unto itself on what a career in Higher Ed looks like.
What is your current position and what does it involve?
I am currently part of the full-time teaching faculty at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. I teach courses across the theatre curriculum, dramaturg productions, develop projects with students, and teach regularly in the Women and Gender Studies program. I get to do a little bit of everything.
Thoughts and/or advice for current graduate students?
Stay curious. Stay generous with your colleagues. Make time for rest. Develop ways of talking about your research and practice outside of academia. The academic job market is not robust and has changed drastically in the last decade, and the best thing you can do for yourself is to think about how else you can apply your skills beyond traditional paths. The skills we develop as researchers and thinkers and theatre makers are varied and exciting, and being able to articulate that and show it off with your projects is really important.