Beth Pollack

Seattle based actor, teaching artist, and generator of new work.

Beth Pollack is a graduate of NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study where she designed a degree in Theatre Studies and the Historicization of Dramatic Literature with a minor in Dramatic Lit. She graduated magna cum laude and received the Léo Bronstein Homage Award for the artist/scholar for outstanding interdisciplinary achievements in the arts.

While in New York she became a founding member of The Mad and Merry Theatre Company where she performed, taught, and directed. She also traveled to Abu Dhabi to take part in the first annual Global Shakespeare Conference as a performer and educator representing NYU Gallatin. New York credits include numerous mainstage productions and readings at Gallatin’s Jerry H. Labowitz theatre, work off-off Broadway at The Gene Frankel and the Access, and performing the role of Antigone in a reading of Antigonick alongside Anne Carson, Judith Butler, and Anne Waldman, attended by Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson.

Now Seattle-based, Beth teaches creative drama, acting, and Shakespeare at Seattle Children’s Theater. She is a resident voice and text instructor with the Young Shakespeare Workshop, a nonprofit and tuition-free organization she has been involved with since age 15. Beth has served as the Rising Star Project Coordinator at The 5th Avenue Theatre, taught with Book-It Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Jet City Improv, TeenTix, and Seattle Rep’s Public Works Program, and has assisted with ACT Theatre’s Young Playwrights Program. Beth also teaches drama at various Seattle-area schools.

As a performer, she has been involved in various classical, contemporary, and devised pieces in Seattle. Notable collaborations include work with Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Village Theatre, and Seattle Children’s Theatre. Beth was a company member of Ghost Light Theatricals from 2015-2018 and is a current company member of Dacha Theatre, where she also served as an artistic producer from 2017-2022.

I am often asked to explain why I decided to design my own degree at NYU Gallatin and what it means. While I am happy to discuss “Theatre Studies and the Historicization of Dramatic Literature,” my degree is also significant because it embodies my desire to pursue non-traditional educational experiences and areas of study. I focus on art and performance as I explore the intersections of high and low culture, and I enjoy interrogating the themes and narratives that reoccur in the stories we tell.

As an actor, I am constantly on the lookout for scripts, stories, and concepts that push me to strengthen my weak points and let me take joy in my strengths. I relish discomfort, athleticism, and new experiences found in old stories.