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David Fox

Lecturer in Theatre Arts
Director, New Student Orientation & Academic Initiatives

Stouffer Commons, 3702 Spruce Street
215-573-5636

Office Hours

spring 2021

Office hours for Spring 2021 are by appointment, and by Zoom

Portrait of David Fox

David Fox is a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania in Theatre Arts, and Director of the Penn Reading Project and New Student Orientation. His areas of expertise and teaching include modern American theatre, musical theatre and opera; arts criticism; and directing.

In addition to his work at Penn, David is an active arts journalist. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Opera Quarterly, The Kurt Weill Quarterly, and others. For 15 years, he was theater critic for Philadelphia City Paper, followed by five years at Philadelphia Magazine. He now writes regularly for Parterre Box, and—along with frequent writing partner, Cameron Kelsall—maintains the arts blog, Reclining Standards. Twenty-six of his essays appear in the current edition of the International Dictionary of Opera (St. James Press).

David also lectures nationally for arts groups including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Opera, and others. He is a frequent guest on NPR’s Radio Times. In addition, he has designed music and sound for a number of regional theatres throughout the country, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, and Room for Theatre in Los Angeles.

David holds degrees from UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television, and has taught and developed educational programs in the arts and humanities at Penn, UCLA, and The University of Southern California. A native Los Angelino, he was part of the staff that opened the first ever Tower Classical Records store (on Sunset Boulevard). The vast LP (and later, CD) collection he built while working there still takes up half of his living room, and much of his time.

Courses Taught

fall 2024

spring 2024

ENGL 1271.401 American Musical Theatre  

fall 2023

spring 2023

ENGL 0381.401 American Musical Theatre  

fall 2022

spring 2022

ENGL 285.401 American Musical Theatre  

fall 2021

ENGL 285.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2021

ENGL 276.401 Icons in Performance  

fall 2020

ENGL 285.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2020

ENGL 276.401 Icons in Performance  

fall 2019

ENGL 285.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2019

fall 2018

ENGL 274.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2018

fall 2017

ENGL 274.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2017

fall 2016

ENGL 274.401 American Musical Theater  

spring 2016

fall 2015

ENGL 274.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2015

ENGL 274.402 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2014

ENGL 256.402 Gay Theatre canceled  

spring 2013

ENGL 274.402 American Musical Theatre  

fall 2011

ENGL 274.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2011

ENGL 274.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2010

ENGL 274.401 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2009

spring 2008

fall 2007

ENGL 274.602 American Musical Theatre  

fall 2006

fall 2005

ENGL 256.601 Trangressive Performance  

spring 2005

fall 2004

ENGL 256.601 Music Theatre of Sondheim  

spring 2004

spring 2003

fall 2001

ENGL 271.601 Williams, Albee, Shepard  

fall 2000

ENGL 271.635 American Musical Theatre  

spring 2000

ENGL 271.601 Variety of Arts  

fall 1999

spring 1999

fall 1998

ENGL 271.601 Topics in Drama  

fall 1997

spring 1997

ENGL 271.601 American Musical Theatre  

spring 1996

spring 1995

ENGL 271.601 American Musical Theatre