Magda Romanska

Professor Magda Romanska is a pioneering interdisciplinary scholar at Emerson College, where she serves as Professor of Performing Arts. She maintains multiple prestigious affiliations at Harvard University, including Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Principal Researcher at metaLAB, Research Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and Chair of the Transmedia Arts seminar at the Mahindra Humanities Center.

Her educational background includes a B.A. from Stanford University and M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. She has previously taught at Harvard University, Yale School of Drama, and Cornell University, and has worked professionally on over 30 theatre and opera productions as a dramaturg and director.

Professor Romanska's research spans transmedia storytelling, hybrid dramaturgy, and computational analysis of dramatic texts. Her innovative work includes developing 'drametrics' - a transvergent quantitative methodology blending classical dramatic theory with mathematical models. She is currently exploring quantum dramaturgy, which applies concepts like superposition and entanglement to multi-voiced narratives, as well as posthuman disability studies and the ethics of mimicry in human-AI interaction.

Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the evolving relationship between traditional theatre and digital technologies, with particular attention to accessibility challenges, ethical implications of AI in performance, and geopolitical dimensions of memory in Eastern European contexts. She has pioneered methodologies that bridge mathematical precision with artistic expression in performance analysis.

• 2025 Webby Honoree
• 2024 ATHE-ASTR Award for Excellence in Digital Scholarship
• Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy
• MacDowell Fellowship
• Mass Council Artist Fellowship for Dramatic Writing
• Culture Online International Award for Best Online Project

Professor Romanska has directed significant research initiatives including the Digital Access Research Project and Future Stage project, which released a collective manifesto translated into 12 languages. As Founder and Executive Director of TheTheatreTimes.com, she has built the largest global digital theatre portal and launched Performap.org and the International Online Theatre Festival. Her grant work focuses on digital infrastructure for global theatre access and ethical frameworks for emerging technologies in performance.

Her leadership extends to Harvard's metaLAB where she examines how digital technologies transform theatre and performance, with particular attention to accessibility and ethical implications. She chairs the Transmedia Arts seminar at Harvard's Mahindra Humanities Center and serves on the advisory board of DigitalTheatre+, demonstrating her commitment to bridging academic research with practical applications in the theatre industry.