Judith Royer, C.S.J.

Judith Royer, C.S.J. Professor. B.A., St. Joseph Teacher's College; M.A., California State University, Fullerton; Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara. Professor Royer teaches acting, directing, dramatic literature, and playwriting, and is director of the Playwrights Center Stage new plays series. She has directed over 35 revivals and 40 original scripts in the U. S. and the U. K. and has worked as producer, director and dramaturg with new play development programs sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Playwrights Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, and Theatre Gallery in Los Angeles, the latter of which she was founder and former artistic director. She was producing director for the Southern New Plays Festival, Southern Repertory Theatre, New Orleans, and has directed new works and/or American premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Piccolo Spoteto Festival, New Dramatists, Alice's Fourth Floor, and the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York, as well as the Victory Theatre, Gascon Center Theatre and Interact Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Professor Royer was an immediate-past member of the National Playwriting Committee for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and was awarded the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion for her work in fostering new plays and playwrights around the country. Royer is a founding member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education; former Chair of that organization's Acting Program; immediate Past-Chair of the Playwrights Program; current New Play Production Coordinator for the Playwrights Program; and co-director of ATHE's annual New Play Development Workshop and recipient of the 2002 Playwrights Program Distinguished Service Award. She is a past member of the National Playwriting Committee for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Board. She is also a member of The Players in New York City. She received the ATHE 2008 Outstanding Teacher of Theatre in Higher Education Award July, 2008. At LMU she has directed many productions including Dancing at Lughnasa, Cabaret, A View from the Bridge, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.