Madeline Fanton

Madeline Fanton is an Assistant Professor at Westmont, specializing in Theater History, Performance Studies, and Acting. Her research focuses on the interplay of performance, memory, and nationalism in 20th-century U.S. contexts. She teaches courses such as Great Literature of the Stage, Theater History, and Race and Gender on the American Stage.

Education: B.A. in Acting from UC Irvine; M.A. in Theater Studies from California State University, Northridge; Ph.D. in Theater and Performance Studies from UC Santa Barbara (2024). Her doctoral research examined performance, memory, and nationalism between the World Wars.

Madeline has presented at conferences including the American Society for Theatre Research and has contributed a chapter to the forthcoming book Public Spaces of Performance, Trauma, Mourning, and Remembrance: In Memoriam. She previously served as Assistant Director and Education Director for Naked Shakes, a UCSB theater group, and has directed plays such as Poor Clare at Westmont. She is set to direct again in Spring 2026.