Biography
Katie Davis has been the Coordinator of the Theatre Arts Program at USAO since 2006.
She is currently a tenured faculty member and holds the rank of Professor. She teaches
Theatre History, Dramatic Literature, Acting, Directing, Playwriting, Production Design,
Dramaturgy, Arts Management, and is the Producing Director for all department productions.
Her creative work in the past decade ranges from directing her own original adaptations
of Shakespeare’s work and Medieval Morality Plays, to Sanskrit Drama, Musical Theatre,
Greek Classics, and presentation of original plays by student playwrights. Katie also
team-taught courses in the Interdisciplinary Core Curriculum including: World Thought-
Ancient and Modern, Individual in Contemporary Society, and Senior Seminar.
Katie has worked in professional, academic, and community theatre for over 30 years.
She was the Artistic Director and Business Manager for Corinth Theatre-Arts between
2002-2006, and worked at The People’s Light and Theatre Company, Southwest Repertory
Organization, and the Hangar Theatre, among others.
Katie was awarded the USAO Regent's Award for Superior Teaching in 2019 and the USAO
Regent's Award for Faculty Service in 2023.
Katie has also been honored by the American College Theatre Festival for Excellence
in New Play Development, and is a member of the American Association of Community
Theatres, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and the Oklahoma Community
Theatre Association. In 2013, the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association
honored Katie as the Outstanding Young College Teacher of the Year. Katie’s areas
of ongoing research and interest include: Creativity, New Play Development, Postmodernism,
Interdisciplinary Studies, and Theatre for Social Change. Katie frequently serves
the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association as a judge for High School One-Act
Competitions. She also loves basketball, fishing, creative problem solving, and is
passionate about education and the arts. Katie lives in Chickasha with her husband
and 15-year-old son.
Research, Presentations & Publications
Panelist: Association for Theatre in Higher Education annual conference (virtual),
Theatre as a Liberal Art Focus Group: “Finding Opportunity in this Weird Moment,”
July 30, 2020
Presenter: Moment Work in Devising Contemporary Theatre, Festival of Arts and Ideas,
“Interaction”, February 5, 2019.
Presenter: Adapting Chekhov’s Castle as a Playwriting Etude, ATHE 2018. Interdisciplinarity as a Growth Platform for Theatre Programs, ATHE 2018.
Presenter: Karen Malpede’s Extreme Whether: Finding Family in Nature. USAO Festival
of Arts and Ideas “Our Beautiful Planet,” January, 2017.
Workshop Presenter: “Coaching Creativity: an Introduction to the Critical Response
Process of Liz Lerman,” at Canadian Valley Technical Center, 2018 also at USAO Festival
of Arts and Ideas, 2011
Panelist: Building Relationships between College/High School Theatre Programs, Oklahoma
Speech Theatre Communication Association, 2014
Presenter: The Hero as Pilgrim: (Myth)Representation in post 9/11 Works by Arab-American
Playwrights. Mid-America Theatre Conference, Production and Practice Symposium, 2013
