(Photo courtesy of SUNY New Paltz)
ABOUT
Russell M. Dembin (he/him) is a higher ed and nonprofit administrator, project manager, editor, writer, educator, theatermaker, and scholar whose work is grounded in anti-racism; anti-oppression; accessibility; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. With specialties in the intersections of culture and social justice, Russ is dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories of historically marginalized communities. Until 2020, he was the managing editor of American Theatre magazine and AmericanTheatre.org, published by Theatre Communications Group (TCG); during his five years with TCG, he co-curated the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Brown Bag meeting series and served in the organization-wide EDI Workgroup and on the Strategic Planning Workplace Culture Subteam and the Archives Committee. Previous roles include contributing editor of Everything Sondheim; associate editor of The Sondheim Review; and associate director of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s On Tour drama program in Merrick, New York. He has also taught courses at SUNY New Paltz and the University of Texas at Austin, and his writing has appeared in The Austin Chronicle, Musical Theatre Review, Theatre Journal, and the Journal of Beckett Studies. In addition, Russ is a book copy editor and proofreader, a freelance dramaturg, a co-VP of Anti-Oppression for Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), a steering committee member of the American Theatre Archive Project, and a planning committee member of LMDA’s Dramaturging the Phoenix essay and forum series. He holds a Ph.D. in Performance as Public Practice from UT Austin and an M.A. in Theater History and Criticism from Brooklyn College.