Dr. Ashley Lucas

Biography

Ashley Lucas is a Professor of Theatre and Drama and English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. She serves as the Affiliate Faculty Director of the UM Prison Creative Arts Program and has been recognized as an author of the ethnographic play "Doin’ Time: Visiting Glass" as well as a one-woman show performed in the U.S., Ireland, and Canada. Lucas is currently reviewing a book manuscript entitled "Looking Walls: Ethnographic Theatre in Prison Contexts" with the University of Michigan Press. With a strong focus on the intersection of theatre and social justice, she was invited as the lead writer for the Methuen Critical Companion on Prison Theatre, analyzing performances across several countries. Her scholarly contributions include articles in journals such as the Journal of American Drama and Theatre and the Latin American Theater Review. Additionally, she has guest edited a special issue for the National Women’s Studies Association Journal on the topic of women in the criminal justice system, alongside sociologist Jodie Lawston, with whom she co-edited the volume "Razor Wire Women: Prisoners, Activists, Scholars, Artists."

Research Interests