David McGraw
Associate Professor and Director of Arts Administration
Department: Performing Arts
Email: dmcgraw@elon.edu
Phone number: (336) 278-5622
Brief Biography
Professor McGraw serves as the Program Coordinator for the Arts Administration interdisciplinary major. He joined Elon's faculty in 2017 having served as the head of the arts entrepreneurship and stage management programs at the University of Iowa. As a member of the Performing Arts faculty, he oversees Front-of-House operations for department productions. His research includes the National Stage Manager Survey, the largest study of theatrical project managers in the world, the longitudinal study of early-career stage managers with the SM2030 Project, the South Africa Creative Industries Technical Staff Study with Ronel Jordaan of the University of Cape Town, Return to the Stage, and an 18-month study of the impact of COVID-19 on the Performing Arts workforce, co-authored with Meg Friedman. He also served as a Research Fellow for the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, co-authoring articles with Wen Guo.
In 2023, Prof. McGraw received the Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Elon College of Arts & Sciences.
In 2024, Prof. McGraw co-founded the Piedmont Shakespeare Company with the mission to produce original productions of Shakespeare’s plays in all their complexity, to provide transformative, profound experiences for audiences across the Piedmont. This nonprofit provides summer work and career development opportunities to Elon students.
Links
News & Notes
Education
MA, Arts Administration, Goucher College
MFA, Theatre (Stage Management), Yale/University of Iowa
BA, Classics/Theatre, Summa Cum Laude, Fenwick Scholar, College of the Holy Cross
Employment History
Program Coordinator, Arts Administration Major, Elon University, 2017-Present
Associate Professor of Practice, Stage Management (MFA), University of Iowa, 2011-2017
Program Head, Arts Entrepreneurship Certificate, University of Iowa, 2007-2017
Production Stage Manager, Stage Management (MFA), University of Iowa, 2003-2007
Production Manager, School of Theatre Arts, University of Arizona, 2002-2003
Courses Taught
AAD*1100 Introduction to Arts Administration
AAD*2200 Approaches to Arts Administration
AAD*270 Managing Your Online Presence
AAD*3300 Legal Aspects of Arts and Entertainment
AAD*4985 Internships in Arts Administration
AAD*4970 Senior Seminar in Arts Administration
COR*3615 Front Row Seat
Leadership Positions
Chair, Elon Performing Arts Inclusivity Committee, 2022-2024.
Co-founder/member of the Greater Greensboro Theatre Consortium, 2022-Present.
Director at Large, Stage Managers Association, 2019-2022.
Second Vice Chair, Stage Managers Association, 2007.
Research
National Stage Manager Survey. Author and Lead Investigator. Editions: 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019. www.smsurvey.info
South African Creative Industries Technical Staff Survey. Co-author and Lead Investigator. 2019. www.sacits.com
SM2030 Project. Author and Lead Investigator. 2020. www.smsurvey.info
Return to the Stage. Co-author and Lead Investigator. 2020-2021. www.returntothestage.com.
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Grants Awarded
Publications
"Stepping Outside the Classroom: Connecting Contextual Factors of American Universities and Arts Alumni's Entrepreneurial Intentions," chapter in Innovating Institutions and Inequities in the Arts, 2024. Co-authored with Dr. Wen Guo.
"The Arts Alumni Have Spoken: The Impact of Training in Higher Education on Entrepreneurial Careers," Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 2022. Co-authored with Dr. Wen Guo.
"Standby Cue 101: An Introduction to Calling Live Performances," educational film distributed by SM-Sim, LLC. 2012.
"The Epoch Model: An Arts Organization with an Expiration Date," Chapter in 20Under40: Re-inventing the Arts and Arts Education for the 21st Century, edited by Edward P. Clapp. 2010.
Professional Activities
Executive Director of the Piedmont Shakespeare Company.
Managed professional theatre productions at Triad Stage, Chester Theatre Company, Iowa Summer Rep, Arizona Repertory Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Oldcastle Theatre, Perishable Theatre, StageWorks on the Hudson, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Whilte River Theatre Festival, and the Yale Repertory Theatre.
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