Les Gray

Les Gray, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Missouri. Their work interrogates Black cultural production through the lenses of trauma, terror, and intersectional identities, with a focus on ethical cultural practices and embodied knowledge.

Education:

• PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Maryland, College Park
• MA in Theatre Studies, University of Oregon
• BA in Theatre, University of North Carolina Charlotte

Research Interests: Dr. Gray’s scholarship explores performances of Black pain and resilience, blending Black radical feminism, queer theory, and disability studies to analyze how race, gender, sexuality, class, and disability intersect in staged and unframed events—from police brutality videos to blues dancing. They emphasize joy, healing, and solidarity in performance practices.

Publications & Presentations: Dr. Gray’s work has been featured in Youth Theatre Journal and The Professor Is In, with forthcoming articles in Performing Ethos and Teaching Theatre with Things. They have presented at prestigious conferences including Performance Studies International, American Society for Theatre Research, and the International Federation of Theatre Research World Congress.

Teaching: Courses taught include African-American Theatre and Performance, Popular Culture and Popular Performance, and A Giant Trigger Warning: Performances of Terror and Trauma.