Grace Kessler Overbeke
Assistant Professor, Columbia College Theatre Department
Grace Kessler Overbeke (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the Theatre Department of Columbia College with a focus on Comedy Writing and Performance. She is the author of First Lady of Laughs: The Forgotten Story of Jean Carroll, America's First Jewish Woman Stand-Up Comedian. Her writing has also appeared in Theatre Topics, Theatre Annual, The New England Theatre Journal, Theatre Survey, Studies in American Humor, and The Jewish Forward. As a dramaturg, she has worked with Duke University, Northwestern University, Adventure Stage Chicago, The Kennedy Center for Young Audiences, The Studio Theatre, Portland Stage Company, the La Jolla Playhouse, The Cleveland Playhouse, and Theater J. She received her B.A. in Theatre and English from Wesleyan University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University's Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre and Drama.
