Felicia Ruff
Felicia Ruff
Professor, Performing Arts
Professor of Theatre. Gender-related scholarship includes: the Ballet Russes, Oscar Wilde, Grand Guignol, Witches and Witch Plays.
fruff@wagner.edu Main Hall 5 Please email fruff@wagner.edu to schedule an appointment. Ph.D. CUNY Graduate Center, Theatre HistoryB.A. Rutgers University, Theatre
Dr. Felicia J. Ruff received her doctorate in Theatre History from the Graduate Center of CUNY, having focused on 19th century theatre, particularly Melodrama. In 2007 she received a NEH grant to attend “The Oscar Wilde Archive” at UCLA’s Clark Library and subsequent scholarship focused on Wilde Studies, including book chapters: "The Transgressive Prop; or, Oscar Wilde's E(a)rnest Signifier" and "Oscar Wilde, the Erotique-Grotesque, and Modernist Spectacle." She has chaired, organized, and delivered multiple talks on Wilde at UCLA and Kean University as well as "The Oscar Wilde Temple" at the Church of the Village NYC, and at international burlesque artist Tansy's "Polite Society: an Impolite Salon" NYC.
In 2007 Dr. Ruff delivered a talk then published a book chapter “The Laugh Factory? Humor and Horror at Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol” in Theatre Symposium: Comedy Tonight; this led to her recent interview, along with scholar Richard Hand of the University of East Anglia, by Eric Molinsky for episode 184 "Stage Fright" of the podcast Imaginary Worlds: https://www.
She has authored book and performance reviews for Theatre Journal and biographical entries for the Encyclopedia of Broadway and American Culture. “Seduction at the Ballet: Léon Bakst, the Ballets Russes, and Costuming the New Ballet Body” was presented at the SMLA conference and led to an honors seminar on "The Politics of Dress." More recently her research focuses on witches on the Western stage. She is currently at work on a book chapter for the forthcoming Arden Guides to Early Modern Drama on plays involving witchcraft.
Previously, she opened the Center for the Arts at the College of Staten Island, where she worked with many artists of international renown. At Wagner, she has served in multiple administrative roles, including as Department Chair and Chair of the Academic Policy Committee.
She is a member of the First Year Program, where she teaches with studio artist Prof. Jenny Toth. This fall is their 22nd year teaching together. They are proud of the many students who began their Wagner careers in their learning community.
Courses taught: Theatre History; Script Analysis; Seminars in Modernism, Elizabethan Theatre, Oscar Wilde, Greek Theatre, Witchcraft and Theatre, Disabilities and Theatre, among others.
In the News
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Princeton Review names Wagner as one of America’s best colleges
August 31, 2021 30th edition of legendary college guide also highlights Wagner theater program on its Great College Theater list READ MORE -
Wagner College introduces Dance Education major
February 11, 2019 New major based in the nationally renowned Wagner College Theatre program, listed among the top 5 collegiate theater programs in the country READ MORE -
Play premiered at Wagner now in Off-Broadway production
July 28, 2015 ‘Three Days to See’ is a reworking of an original Wagner College Theatre production, ‘The Eighth Wonder of the World.’ Wagner alumna is stage manager; WCT professor in cast. READ MORE -
Wagner College featured in Princeton Review’s ‘Best Colleges’ guide
August 5, 2014 Wagner College was featured, once again, in the Princeton Review’s “Best 379 Colleges” guide, which was released on Tuesday, Aug. 5. Special kudos went to the college’s theater program READ MORE -
Wagner College Theatre #1 on Princeton Review’s ‘Best Colleges’ list
August 5, 2014 The Wagner College Theatre program was ranked #1 in the nation, and the Wagnerian student newspaper was ranked among the country’s top 20 collegiate news publications, in this year’s Princeton READ MORE -
Faculty members granted tenure, promotion
May 22, 2014 On Thursday, May 22, the Wagner College Board of Trustees approved the following recommendations for tenure and promotion: Frank DeSimone (Business Department) has been granted tenur READ MORE