Sara Stamatiades

Sara Stamatiades is the Joseph F. Martino ’53 Lecturer at Cornell University’s Department of Literatures in English, holding a PhD in English literature from Cornell. Her research focuses on early modern theater, colonialism, and performance studies. She teaches undergraduate courses like “Shakespeare Offstage” and “Writing Across Cultures,” emphasizing interdisciplinary and community-engaged pedagogy.

Education:

• B.A., Clemson University
• M.A., Cornell University
• PhD, Cornell University (English Literature)

Research Interests: Explores how theatrical performances construct and deconstruct colonial worlds, with a focus on early modern European works. Her dissertation, “The Theater of Discovery: (Un)making the World on the Early Modern Stage,” analyzes plays by Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, and others to argue that discovery is both a performative act and a colonial tool. Integrates global and postcolonial frameworks with critical indigenous studies.

Teaching & Outreach: Served as Assistant Director of Cornell Writing Centers and developed community projects like the “Stages of Life” intergenerational playwriting workshop in Ithaca, NY. Recognized with the Gertrude Spencer Prize for teaching excellence.

Grants & Fellowships:

• 2020-2021 Public Humanities Fellow at Humanities New York

Labs/Teams: Engaged with EPOCH Magazine and the MFA Alumni Publications initiative through Cornell’s Creative Writing program.