Nancy Kawalek
Studio Professor, Film & Media Studies and Media Arts & Technology at UCSB
Founder/Director, STAGE @ CNSI and the Professional Artists Lab
Director, The Brain Project
Nancy Kawalek is a New York theatre-trained actor whose credits include Strider on Broadway, as well as several leading roles Off Broadway along with a one-woman show, Alice Without, which she also co-authored. Performing in regional theatre, Nancy has been privileged to work with directors such as Frank Galati, JoAnne Akalaitis and Dennis Zacek. She has also acted in film, television and numerous commercials, as well as on National Public Radio's acclaimed Selected Shorts series. A graduate of Northwestern University in Theatre and Performance Studies, Nancy honed her improvisational skills with Chicago's distinguished Second City. Among her credits as a director is the documentary film, Lost and Found.
As a Studio Professor at UCSB, Nancy teaches acting, directing and the adaptation of literature for the stage. In addition to being at the helm of STAGE, she is the founder/director of UCSB’s Professional Artists Lab, a dynamic artistic laboratory in which professional actors, directors, writers and producers create and develop new works in theatre, film, television, radio and multi-media performance.