Sturges is a white woman with wavy blonde and glasses. She smiles and wears a pin-striped black blazer.

Melissa Lin Sturges

BSR Contributor Since January 16, 2023

Melissa Lin Sturges (she/her) is an emerging scholar, an educator, and freelance theater
writer. She is also an East Coast dramaturg and an advocate for the arts.

Melissa Lin Sturges is a 3rd-year doctoral student in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies. Her most recent scholarly work appears in Theatre Journal, Ecumenica, Shakespeare Bulletin (forthcoming), and PARTake. She is also a DC teaching artist and arts administrator and is on the steering committee for the American Theater Archives Project. Melissa teaches courses that center public speaking, storytelling, and styles of performance for young actors and non-actors of all ages. She also writes freelance theater reviews for Washington City Paper, DCTrending, and Howlround, and she is a Helen Hayes Awards adjudicator.

By this Author

3 results
Page 1
Black & white photo of 10 men onstage in suits, many of them raising a fist. Silhouetted audience members also raise fists

As fights for fair labor continue, Waiting For Lefty is a timely revival at Quintessence Theatre Group

“A story that needs to be told”
A revival of the American classic Waiting For Lefty highlights unionization efforts within and outside the arts industry. Melissa Lin Sturges speaks with director Kyle Haden about the power of storytelling and the importance of the collective.
Melissa Lin Sturges

Melissa Lin Sturges

Features 5 minute read
Ominous lighting on four characters, two look directly at camera. Two men in business attire, two women in sleepwear

Eagle Theatre presents Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party

How to be wildly safe
Angela Longo and Hannah Deprey-Severance discuss The Wild Party, soon to premiere at Eagle Theatre. What happens “behind the curtain” promises to uphold the agency, creativity, and safety of the artists involved. Melissa Lin Sturges previews.
Melissa Lin Sturges

Melissa Lin Sturges

Previews 3 minute read
Close-up on Dardaris, a white woman with curly gray hair, standing with arms ecstatically outstretched, in a red blouse.

Hedgerow Theatre Company Presents Enda Walsh’s The New Electric Ballroom

A haunting nightly dance
With Enda Walsh’s The New Electric Ballroom, Hedgerow Theatre spotlights women characters with existential storylines, a relative rarity in absurdist theater. Melissa Lin Sturges reviews.
Melissa Lin Sturges

Melissa Lin Sturges

Reviews 3 minute read