Biography:
Popular Courses
English/Women and Gender Studies 340: Wives, Widows, and Whores: Women and Gender in English Renaissance Literature
English 350: Shakespeare
English/Theatre 378: Playwriting
English/Theatre 230: Play in Performance
Scholarly/Professional Highlights
In 2018, Professor Leonard published “All ‘Metatheatre’ is Not Created Equal: The Knight of the Burning Pestle, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the Navigation of the Spectrum of Dramatic Representation” in Shakespeare Bulletin.
In 2017, Professor Leonard published "Circling the Nuptial in As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing" in Studies in English Literature.
In 2012, Professor Leonard published "Embracing the 'Mongrel:' John Marston's The Malcontent, Antonio and Mellida, and the Development of English Early Modern Tragicomedy" in The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies.
He co-wrote the script of a short film Mossadegh (2012), about the democratically elected and then deposed prime minister of Iran. It has been screened at more than twenty festivals, both in the United States and internationally, and was nominated for Best Screenplay (Shorts) by the Maverick Movie Awards. http://mossadeghfilm.com
Extra-Curricular and Institutional Service Highlights
Advisor for the Performing Arts Club and Organizer of Westminster Theatre Offerings
Advisor for the Literature Club
Advisor for the College Democrats Club
Co-Advisor for the Westminster Alliance
Former Director of Westminster College Center for Teaching and Learning
Education
- Kenyon College '03 - BA double majoring in English and Drama
- University of York, UK '05 - MA in Renaissance Literature
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst '13 - PhD in English Literature
Background
Professor Leonard, or Dr. Nate (as most of his students call him), became a member of Westminster's English department faculty in the fall of 2013. He specializes in English dramatic literature from the 16th and 17th centuries (i.e. Shakespeare and his contemporaries) and has also developed teaching interests and experience in drama across periods, Renaissance literature more generally, pre-1800 English literature, performance studies, and playwriting.
Many of Professor Leonard's scholarly pursuits hinge on the unique issues associated with reading and analyzing texts intended for performance. His dissertation focuses on the interaction between metatheatre, the restaging of cultural performances, and dramatic genre in the theatrical literature of the English Renaissance. He is currently working on a book project that expands on his dissertation in order to more completely delve into the issues associated with metatheatrical strategies and their importance to the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
His desire to teach and study dramatic literature is rooted, in part, in his deep commitment to staged performance. Since starting his own undergraduate studies, he has directed, written, performed, and done technical work for more than sixty academic and professional productions. This includes his adaptation of the Faust legend, faust[us], which he directed for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, half-a-dozen Renaissance plays and readings that he either directed or produced for the Arthur F. Kinney Center for Renaissance Studies, and serving as an acting coach for operatic productions. Since coming to Westminster, Professor Leonard has been extremely active with theatre on campus and has directed full productions of The Trojan Women, Waiting for Lefty, and The Importance of Being Earnest (just to name a few) as well as helping to produce and/or direct a variety of student productions and readings.
In recent years, Professor Leonard has also been heavily involved in the development of Westminster’s One-to-One Program (implemented in the Fall of 2019, the program revolves around each student being given an iPad and the innovative teaching that having a shared technological platform allows). As part of this preparation, Dr. Nate has earned certification as an Apple Teacher and as an Apple Learning Academy Specialist.
Personal Information
When Professor Leonard isn't teaching or researching, he enjoys film, fishing, and spending time with his incredible wife, Sara, and his wonderful son, Charlie.