Maurya Wickstrom

Maurya Wickstrom is a Professor of Theatre and Performance whose work interrogates radical political possibilities through artistic practice, focusing on how performance stretches beyond current sociopolitical boundaries into transformative innovation. Her scholarship bridges theoretical rigor with urgent political engagement across diverse global contexts.

Her academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in Theatre from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) and an M.F.A. in Directing from Tulane University, reflecting her dual expertise in scholarly research and practical theatre direction. This background informs her distinctive approach to performance as a site of political invention.

Wickstrom's research centers on radical politics in theatre and performance, with current projects developing an oceanic dramaturgy rooted in Moby-Dick and Black radical thought. Her intellectual trajectory spans performance temporality; philosophy (particularly Alain Badiou and Giorgio Agamben); Palestinian political expression; global activist theatre; animal studies; and neoliberalism's cultural impacts. She consistently examines how artistic practices rupture dominant frameworks to envision alternative social realities.

Her recent publications reveal evolving engagement with oceanic metaphysics, Black radical aesthetics, and anti-neoliberal resistance. Articles in Theatre Journal, Theatre Survey, and TDR demonstrate methodological range—from analyzing M. Lamar's slave insurrection narratives to Thomas Hirschhorn's Gramsci Monument—while maintaining focus on performance's capacity to initiate historical change beyond capitalist constraints.

Monographs including Fiery Temporalities in Theatre and Performance: The Initiation of History (2018), Performance in the Blockades of Neoliberalism (2012), and Performing Consumers (2006) establish her as a leading voice in critical performance studies, with Palgrave Macmillan's series highlighting her theoretical contributions to international performance discourse.

No scientific awards were documented in the source materials.

While her scholarly output indicates significant mentorship through edited volume contributions and journal publications, specific student advising records or grant funding details were not provided in the available documentation.