معرفی
Meiling Cheng is a Professor of Theatre Critical Studies at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts, with joint appointments in the USC Roski School of Arts and Design and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on interdisciplinary performance, live art, and avant-garde theatre, combining critical theory with fieldwork and oral history. She holds a DFA from Yale University and has received grants from the Asian Cultural Council, Bass Fellowships, and the James H. Zumberge Research Fund.
Dr. Cheng’s academic career spans over three decades, including roles as Director of Critical Studies and Area Head of Critical Studies at USC. She is affiliated with USC/UCLA’s East Asian Studies Center and co-founded the performance collective MoOM. Her books include In Other Los Angeleses: Multicentric Performance Art and Beijing Xingwei: Contemporary Chinese Time-Based Art, which explore multicultural and transnational art practices.
Her research interests intersect performance studies, visual art, and cultural theory, with a focus on marginalized voices and global sociocultural dynamics. Awards include the Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Award and SC/W 2000 Exposition Award. She has curated international festivals and taught courses on contemporary kinesthetic theatre, intermedia art, and cultural studies.
- Educations: DFA in Theatre Arts (Yale University, 1993); MFA in Dramaturgy (Yale University, 1989)
- Key Collaborations: Co-edited Reading Contemporary Performance with Gabrielle Cody; worked with August Wilson, Lee Breuer, and Claudia Bucher
- Grants: Asian Cultural Council Dissertation Fellowship (1990–93), Newhouse Fellowships in Writing (1992–93)
Her articles appear in TDR, Performance Research, and Positions: Asia Critique, analyzing performance art, installation, and feminist practices. She investigates themes like temporal art, multicultural performance, and the intersection of theatre and visual arts.
