Daniel Stein

Daniel Stein is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He holds a background in the Professional Actors Training Program at Carnegie-Mellon University and studied with Etienne Decroux in Paris. His career includes performances with the French National Theatre, solo works toured globally, and masterclasses at institutions like Juilliard and the Shanghai Theatre Academy. He is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow and has received grants from the NEA, US/Japan Commission, and Pew Charitable Trust.

Stein’s research focuses on Poetic Dynamics—exploring theatre as an anthropological medium through metaphor and physical storytelling—and pedagogy methodologies. He teaches courses such as Articulation, Partnering, and Solo & Ensemble Devising. Recent projects include collaborations with Seoul’s Flying Off the Cliff Theatre Co. and upcoming workshops at Embodied Poetics, London.

Before UCSB, he led Physical Theatre programs at Brown University and Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. His philosophy emphasizes nurturing students’ cognitive, physical, and instinctual capacities for lifelong creative inquiry.