Roger Babb

Professor of Theatre Arts

Specialization
Ancient Greek and Roman theatre; nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century theatre

Roger Babb is an actor, director, and playwright whose work often involves collaborations with other artists, as well as with scientists. For many years, Babb served as the artistic director of Otrabanda Company, an experimental theatre group based in New York City. Otrabanda was the first theatre company to receive a grant from the National Science Foundation, and its award-winning piece Brain Café was based on the writings of neurologists Oliver Sacks and A.R. Luria. With Otrabanda, Babb lived and worked in Asia, South America, and Europe; toured the Mississippi River by raft; and was awarded a playwriting fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Babb’s work as an actor has included performing with Joseph Chaikin’s Winter Project, Ping Chong’s Fiji Company, Julie Taymor, Merideth Monk, and Richard Maxwell.

Before coming to Mount Holyoke, Babb taught in the theatre departments at Princeton University, Swarthmore College, and New York University.

Along with teaching Performance I and a seminar on the history of directing at MHC, Babb is writing about Polish experimental theatre. Recent reviews and interviews have been published in Slavic and Eastern European Performance, Didiskalia, Theatre Journal, and Polish Review.