Biography
Joseph R. D’Ambrosi is a Ph.D. Candidate at Indiana University pursuing a degree in Theatre History, Theory, and Literature with a minor in religious studies. He holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Studies from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, PA. Joe’s dissertation project, "The Good News on Stage: Evangelicalism and Theatre Practice in Antebellum America," explores the role of theatre and performance in the development of evangelicalism in antebellum America.
Joe's scholarship has been published in refereed journals such as The Harold Pinter Review, Ecumenica, Theatre History Studies, and Southern Theatre. He also has forthcoming work in several edited collections. Joe has presented at many national and international conferences, including at the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR), the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), Comparative Drama, the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC), and the Midwest Popular Culture Association (MPCA/ACA).
Joe is the proud recipient of ASTR's 2016 Thomas Marshall Graduate Student Award and SETC's 2016 Thomas Porterfield Graduate Student Award. Joe is originally from Long Island, NY, and spent a formidable period of his life in Pottstown, PA. He calls Orlando, FL, home.
Awards
Background photo from Bloodlines, directed by Rachel Ballasy at Messiah College. Photo by Christie Heimbach.
2019-2020 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, Indiana University
2019 ART@IU Graduate Student Essay Prize, First Prize, Indiana Universirty
2018 Theatre and Drama Merit Award, Indiana University
2018 Graduate Student Pre-Dissertation Grant, Indiana University
2016-2017 Doctoral Fellowship, Indiana University
2016 Thomas Marshall Graduate Student Award, American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR)
2016 Prize for Innovative Teaching Nominee, ATHE/KCACTF
2016 Robert Porterfield Graduate Scholar, Southeastern Theatre Conference
2016 Florida Theatrical Association Scholarship Award, Florida Theatrical Association
2016 Order of Pegasus Nominee, The University of Central Florida
2014 Irene Ryan Nomination, KCACTF
2010-2014 Daniel Vollmer Scholarship for the Arts, Messiah College