Dr. Danielle Bainbridge

Biography

Danielle Bainbridge is an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University in the School of Communication, where she also serves as the Director of the Interdisciplinary PhD Theatre Drama Program. She holds courtesy appointments in Performance Studies and Black Studies. Bainbridge was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Black Studies for the academic year 2018-2019 at Northwestern University. Her ongoing book project, 'Currencies of Cruelty: Slavery, Freak Shows, Performance Archive,' examines the lives of African American sideshow freak show performers and the historical context of enslavement, with an anticipated publication in 2025 through NYU Press. Academically, she has received support from the Ford Foundation pre-doctoral fellowship from 2014 to 2017 and has worked extensively as a writer and filmmaker. Her web series, 'The Origin of Everything,' co-created for PBS Digital Studios, garnered significant attention, achieving over 40 million views on YouTube. Her creative works include essays and plays that have been recognized with various awards, including the Barry Lopez Prize and the Kore Press memoir award. Bainbridge has also received a virtual writing residency from the Banff Centre in Canada and participated in multiple writers' workshops. Her research interests span Black feminist theory, performance studies, and the history of Black arts culture, with several upcoming publications in prestigious anthologies and journals.

Research Interests

Courses