Paul Gagliardi
Dr. Paul Gagliardi is an associate teaching professor at Marquette University. His primary fields of research are twentieth-century American cultural studies, drama and performance studies, labor studies, and film studies. And his research focuses on the intersection between economic calamity, theories of work and labor, and the performative art people produce during eras like the Great Depression. In his courses, he emphasizes understanding the historical, social, and cultural context of texts, but also now our contemporary readings problematize literature. He also fosters interdisciplinary dialogue between all fields in his courses, and supports students with both their academic and professional goals.
His book, All Play and No Work: American Work Ideals and the Comic Plays of the Federal Theatre Project (Temple University Press, 2023), examines how select comedies produced by the federal government during the Great Depression portrayed complicated norms of working and labor. I argue that many plays actually subverted norms of traditional labor or promoted alternative forms of working to audiences during the 1930s. My writing on the Federal Theatre Project and other subjects, such as confidence artists and literature or other theater studies, has appeared in such outlets as Journal of American Drama and Threatre, Middle West Review, and Howlround, and I have a forthcoming chapter on portrayals of unions in pro wrestling. My current research project examines the cultural history of ice-skating shows in the United States and Canada in the 20th Century, focusing on how shows like the Ice Follies and Ice Capades intersected with sports and theater, as well as how they promoted and challenged gender norms.
