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David Beach

Director, Undergraduate Curriculum/Professor, Special Purpose

Writing, Lang and Lit, School of

Address:

Hemphill 4105
PO Box 6935

Headshot of David Beach

I am a Professor of English and Theatre, teaching courses in writing, dramatic literature, playwriting, screenwriting, linguistics and literary scholarship. I also serve as Artistic Director of the Virginia Blue Ridge Theatre and write plays that explore identity, justice, place and connection. My work as a teacher, scholar and playwright is grounded in a belief that storytelling can spark insight, empathy and change. I am especially passionate about mentoring students, supporting emerging writers and helping students discover the power of their own voice on the page, on the stage and in the classroom.

Relevant Courses

Critical Reading and Writing in the Digital Age (ENGL 112): This foundational course enhances students' analytical reading and advanced academic writing skills, focusing on critical thinking and effective communication in digital contexts.

Playwriting (ENGL 311): A workshop-based creative writing course that focuses on the structure of the dramatic play, character development, plot, theme, set design and stage direction.

Advanced Playwriting (ENGL 411): An advanced workshop course in which students further develop skills in the writing and analysis of stage plays, culminating in a public reading of students' plays and submission preparation to literary managers. Designed for students with prior experience in playwriting and dramaturgy.

The Author in Context (ENGL 470): This course examines the full range of a single writer's work within the many contexts that shaped it and the various critical perspectives that enliven study of that author. Recent authors that we've explored include Sam Shepard, Stephen Sondheim and August Wilson.

Introduction to Literary Scholarship (ENGL 600): This graduate-level course introduces students to bibliographic methodology and contemporary approaches to literary criticism, emphasizing the theoretical frameworks that underpin literary analysis.

Creative Writing (ENGL 611): This graduate-level playwriting course takes a holistic, collaborative approach to the craft. Students develop original plays through workshops and peer feedback, culminating in an open reading of their work.

Service Roles

Second-Year Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs) Mentor: Within the Department of English, I mentor second-year Graduate Teaching Fellows in teaching, course design, classroom practice and professional development, supporting them as they continue to grow as instructors and guide their own students.

Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Assistant Director for the Humanities Program: Each summer, I help lead the Humanities Program for Virginia's Residential Governor's School at Radford University, working with faculty and students from across the Commonwealth in a residential program devoted to college-level thinking, creative expression, collaboration and the humanities.

American College Theatre Festival, National Playwriting Program Regional Chair: I serve as Chair of the National Playwriting Program for the Southeast Region's American College Theatre Festival where I help support student playwrights, coordinate playwriting opportunities and foster the development of new theatrical work across the region.

Virginia Blue Ridge Theatre Artistic Director: Through this community-based theatre, I provide opportunities for students and local artists to collaborate on productions that engage with social issues, foster regional creativity and showcase new voices in playwriting.

Select Publications & Presentations

  • "The Trouble with 'We': Staging Community in The Ally, Suffs, and Kyoto." Presented at the Theatre Symposium Conference, Atlanta, GA. May 2026; and College English Association Conference, Charlotte, NC. Mar. 2026.
  • "From Memory to Monologue: Crafting Solo Work from Real Life." Presented at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, Chattanooga, TN. Mar. 2026; and American College Theatre Festival Region 5, Rochester, MN. Jan. 2026.
  • Lost and Found in Pulaski (Writer/Actor). Rex Theatre, May 2026; Southeastern Theatre Conference Fringe Festival, Mar. 2026; and The Cherry Orchard Theatre, Aug. 2025.
  • "Toward a Humane Rhetoric in a Machine World: A Workshop on Authentic Voice Beyond the Algorithm." Presented at the AI Impact Conference, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA. Nov. 2025; and Corridors: Blue Ridge Writing and Rhetoric Conference, Radford, VA. Sept. 2025.
  • "Freedom as a Central and Complex Concept in The 1619 Project." Presented at the College English Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Mar. 2025.
  • "Shifting from Menu-Based Gen Ed to Program-Based, and Then Back Again(?)." Presented at the Association of General and Liberal Studies, Portland, OR. Oct. 2024.

Education Experience

  • Ph.D. in Education / Instructional Technology and Composition & Rhetoric, George Mason University
  • M.F.A. in Playwriting / Directing & Dramaturgy, Hollins University
  • M.A. in English / Linguistics, George Mason University
  • B.A. in English / Language & Literature, Marymount University

Other Interests

When I'm not writing plays about Arctic diplomacy, emotional unraveling or becoming, I'm usually wrangling curriculum spreadsheets like they're dramatic monologues or directing theatre in places with more cows than coffee shops. I have strong opinions about stage directions, comma splices and what counts as a productive committee meeting. Once, I taught business writing in a Czech castle, and I'm still waiting for that to come up naturally in conversation. I believe in big questions, bold choices and the kind of learning that lingers long after the final curtain.

 

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