Amy Osatinski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Theatre History
Theatre
Biography
Dr. Amy Osatinski (She/Her) is an Assistant Professor of Theatre History at OCU. Amy holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Denver, an MA in Education from the University of Colorado Denver, and a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Colorado Boulder. Amy is a triple threat: A teacher, an artist, and a scholar
Amy has been teaching theatre since 2005. Before coming to OCU, Amy spent four years as an Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to joining the faculty at UNI, Amy was an instructional designer for CUOnline, the online division of the University of Colorado Denver. She also spent several years as the Education Programs Director for Inspire Creative, an arts organization in Parker, Colorado, where she developed a brand-new theatre education program for students ages 5-adult in conjunction with the Town of Parker and the Parker Arts and Cultural Center. From 2008-2013, Amy ran the nationally acclaimed drama program at Heritage High School in Littleton, Colorado.
Amy is also an accomplished director and an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. In August of 2012, she directed the Denver Regional Premiere of Spring Awakening the Musical at the Aurora Fox for Ignite Theatre. Her directing credits include: Newsies, Cabaret, Hair, Oliver!, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Once Upon A Mattress, Almost, Maine, Antigone, Xanadu the Musical, Singin' in the Rain, Legacy of Light, The Diary of Anne Frank, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, RENT, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds and many others. Additionally, Amy is a trained Intimacy Director. She has choreographed intimacy in numerous shows she has directed and has completed extensive training with Theatrical Intimacy Education. Amy brings her expertise in creating brave spaces in her classroom and rehearsal room to the staging of intimacy. In addition to her directing work, Amy serves as an Artistic Consultant for Forgelight Theatre Works in Denver, Colorado.
Amy is also a scholar. Her first book, Disney Theatrical Productions: Producing Broadway Musicals the Disney Way, is available from Routledge. The book explores the production practices of the theatrical producing arm of the Walt Disney Corporation, dissecting how the theatre company functions as an independent producer under the umbrella of a multi-billion-dollar entertainment corporation. Amy's second book, 20 Seasons, Broadway Musicals of the 21st Century, is currently under contract with Routledge and due out in 2023. Amy’s research interests include contemporary theatre and musical theatre and its intersections with popular culture, digital media, and digital technologies. Amy's scholarship has appeared in Theatre Topics, Studies in Musical Theatre, iBroadway: Musical Theatre in the Digital Age, and The Palgrave Handbook of Musical Theatre Producers among others. Amy also regularly presents and national and international conferences and is an officer with the Music Theatre and Dance focus group of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.
For more information about Amy’s work and upcoming projects, visit her website: www.amyosatinski.com
