Courtney Colligan

Courtney Colligan is a Teaching Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Theatre Arts, affiliated with the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. She holds a PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies from Pitt, an M.A. in English from Virginia Tech, and a B.A. in Theatre and English Literature from Christopher Newport University.

Her research focuses on postcarceral performance, exploring how marginalized voices—particularly those of formerly incarcerated individuals—are amplified through performance. She advocates for abolitionist futures and has worked extensively in museums, archives, theatres, and prisons to illuminate suppressed narratives. Her interdisciplinary approach deconstructs social, artistic, and political institutions, with interests spanning cross-gender performance and historiographical narratives in public institutions.

Colligan currently serves as Executive Director of the Unit Literacy Group, a rehabilitative literacy initiative for incarcerated individuals at SCI Somerset. Her work emphasizes employment opportunities and self-reconceptualization post-incarceration.