Molly Claassen

Education and Certifications

BA in Theatre, Math Minor, and Teaching Certification in Theatre K-12 from Baldwin-Wallace University
MFA in Theatre, Directing, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Biography

Prof. Molly Claassen (she/her) is the Associate Professor of Directing and the head of the BA in Theatre. She holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a BA in Theatre, and Teaching Certification in Theatre K-12 from Baldwin-Wallace University. She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association, an Associate Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and recipient of the Fredric March Award for Excellence in Professional Theatre. She has been the Chair of the Directing Committee and head of the Ready to Direct program for the Southeastern Theatre Conference since 2019. She previously resided in New York City where she specialized in directing new works at such theatres as Theatre Row Studio, The Duplex, The Barrow Group, Manhattan Repertory Theatre, and The Gene Frankel Theatre. Regionally, she assistant directed at The Cleveland Playhouse, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, and The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Molly is Co-Creator and Co-Director of The Momversations Project production and podcast for The National Women's Theatre Festival. As a performer, Molly has toured the country with Chamber Theatre Productions and Arts Power. Her favorite company to perform with was Mercury Summer Stock, where she spent 12 summers getting to play some of the best roles of her career.

Academic Areas

Directing
Head of the BA in Theatre
Head of the Theatre Internship Program

Organizations

Member of Actor’s Equity Association (AEA)
Associate Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).