Kate Bredeson

Prof. Kate Bredeson is a Professor of Theatre at Reed College, specializing in theatre as a tool for radical activism and protest. Her research focuses on 20th-century performance, particularly May '68 France and queer/drag practices. She has authored four books, including Occupying the Stage: The Theater of May '68 (2018) and Lamp Back: Plays and Other Grievances (forthcoming 2026). She holds an MFA and PhD in Dramaturgy from Yale. Awards include Fulbright, NEH, and Beinecke fellowships. She advises student Thalia Wolff and collaborates with choreographer Tahni Holt. Bredeson teaches courses like Gender and Theatre and Playwriting, emphasizing intersectional feminism and social justice. She has held residencies globally, including Camargo Foundation (France) and Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center (Italy). As Vice President for Awards at the American Society for Theatre Research, she advocates for theatre scholarship.

• Affiliations: Reed College, American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR), Portland's Risk/Reward
• Research Interests: Activist theatre, postdramatic forms, queer performance, dramaturgy
• Grants: NEH Summer Stipend, Furthermore Foundation Grant, Ruby-Lankford Research Award
• Key Publications: The Diaries of Judith Malina (2026), The Inheritor (2024), essays in PAJ, Theatre Journal, and Theatre Survey

Her work bridges academic scholarship and practice, with dramaturgical collaborations at the Guthrie Theater, Yale Repertory, and Court Theater. She explores how performance disrupts power structures, notably in gender studies and decolonial frameworks.