Andrea Stevens

Andrea Stevens is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with affiliate roles in the Department of Theatre and the Program in Medieval Studies. Her research focuses on early modern drama, Shakespeare, and performance studies, with a particular emphasis on racial masquerade and the intersections of gender, race, and theatrical practice. She earned her Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Virginia, following degrees from Dalhousie University and Huron University College. Her work bridges scholarly writing and performance, including adaptations of Shakespearean plays for contemporary stages.

Her major publications include Inventions of the Skin: The Painted Body in Early English Drama (2013) and her critical edition of William Heminge's The Fatal Contract (2020). Current projects explore racial masquerade in Caroline court performances and the role of rhyme in literary authority. Stevens has received prestigious awards such as the Lynn M. Martin Professorial Scholar (2023-2026) and the Campus Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award (2015).

Her teaching spans early British literature and Shakespeare studies, with recent courses including ENGL 209: British Literature to 1800 and ENGL 117: Shakespeare on Film. She actively collaborates with theater practitioners, serving as dramaturg for productions like Titus Andronicus and Romeo and Juliet, and directing The Duchess of Malfi in 2015. Stevens’ research also engages with the materiality of performance, examining how early modern plays used spectacle to negotiate cultural and racial identities.