Nancy Taylor Porter's Bio
	Nancy Taylor Porter, PhD (Associate Professor of Theatre, Department Chair) leads the Theatre Program as the Artistic Director of Illinois College TheatreWorks. A veteran of Shakespeare and Company's intensive actor training program and the Actors Movement Studio's June Intensive, she has also studied acting and directing at Guilford College, Boston University, and Tufts University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Theatre Studies. She has been involved in theatre at every educational institution she has attended and often acted or directed in surrounding theatre companies as well. Most recently, she has performed with ACT, Inc. in St. Louis and played the role of Jessie in her 30-minute adaptation of Marsha Norman's 'Night Mother for a faculty/student showcase. Nancy has also trained as a dancer, specializing in modern dance, and a singer (soprano). She teaches a wide range of courses from Introduction to Theatre, to Shakespeare's Theatre, to Theatre Directing, a variety that is part of what she enjoys about her work at Illinois College. And creating theatre with talented actors is one of her favorite things to do in life. Her book, Women Direct Shakespeare in America (2005), was published by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press and is available through Amazon.com. A director of over 25 productions, some of her favorites have been How I Learned to Drive, Pride's Crossing, The Crucible, Pride and Prejudice, The Secret Garden, Playing for Time, The Love of the Nightingale, and The Taming of the Shrew.