Alison Urban

Biography

Alison Urban is a fifth-year PhD student. She holds a BA Honors in Drama in Education & Community from University of Windsor and an MA in Drama with a specialization in Theatre for Social Action from University of Alberta. Prior to studying at UC San Diego, Alison was the Associate Director of Education & Outreach at La Jolla Playhouse, focused on training elementary teachers in drama-based cross-curricular arts practices for integration into classrooms. Based on her decade as an educator and interpreter at the San Diego Zoo, Alison is interested in performance with[in] museums and memorial spaces. Her current research is focused on exploring how exhibit design and drama-based interpretation methodology can promote and encourage empathic experiences in museum visitors to provoke social action, particularly in historical sites of trauma. In addition to her research and work at UCSD, Alison has lectured at San Diego State University teaching upper-division Theatre for Young Audiences. Career highlights include Joker training with Augusto and Julian Boal, working with critically endangered species, and providing conservation-education themed tours for the Zoo while driving a double-decker bus.

Research

Theatre in museums spaces

Education

BA Honors in Drama in Education & Community from University of Windsor

MA in Drama from University of Alberta

UC San Diego credits

Anansi, the Story King (Community Engagement Coordinator)