About
Tanya Pollard is a Professor of English at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, CUNY. Her scholarship focuses on Shakespeare, early modern drama, and intersections of literature with science, medicine, and gender. She has authored and co-edited several influential books, including the 2023 Arden Edition of Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist and the award-winning Greek Tragic Women on Shakespearean Stages (2017), which won the Roland H. Bainton Literature Book Prize. Pollard blends academia and performance, serving as a Shakespeare consultant and collaborating with New York theater companies like Theatre for a New Audience, Red Bull Theater, and the Roundabout. She has participated in post-performance dialogues with actors such as Ethan Hawke, Kelli O’Hara, and Phylicia Rashad, and worked with directors including Trevor Nunn and Arin Arbus.
- Education: Former Rhodes Scholar
- Awards: Guggenheim, NEH, Whiting, and Warburg fellowships
- Theater Affiliations: Chair of the Council of Scholars for Theatre for a New Audience, academic advisor to Shakespeare Works Residencies
Pollard’s research examines how Greek tragic heroines influenced early modern plays, and she explores the role of sensory experience in literature through her co-edited volume Shakespearean Sensations. Her public talks and media appearances, including contributions to the PBS documentaries My Shakespeare and Shakespeare Uncovered, demonstrate her commitment to making classical texts accessible. She also practices aerial circus skills, reflecting her interdisciplinary engagement with performance arts.
