• Ph.D. Theatre Studies, University of Washington
• M.A. Theatre Studies, Washington State University
• B.A. Elementary Education, Rocky Mountain College
 
I joined the faculty at APU in February 2005.  I serve as the Director of Distance Education, with my faculty appointment in the Liberal Studies Department.  Originally from Montana, I come from a family of teachers.  My first degree was in Elementary Education, and I taught 7th grade language arts in Montana for a number of years before pursuing graduate work in theatre studies.
 
I completed my Ph.D. in Theatre Studies at the University of Washington, and then went on to join the faculty of the Department of Theatre at Ohio State University.  I worked at Ohio State as a professor and administrator for 16 years.  My research has focused on contemporary women playwrights, feminism and critical theory, and turn-of-the-20th century women who were theatre enthusiasts.  I have also worked to promote arts education as well as the development of distance education and advanced technologies in the arts.  My first love remains teaching.  At APU, I offer a range of arts appreciation and cultural studies offerings.
 
I am honored to serve as the Director of the RANA Distance Education Program.  This is the most important work I’ve ever done.  APU has not only decided to offer distance education, it has devoted its human and financial resources to creating the best possible program to serve the needs of working adults in Alaska, so they can earn degrees.  I see students every day who are sacrificing dearly in order to better themselves and their communities by pursuing higher education. RANA students come from all across Alaska—from Barrow to Hoonah, from Kotzebue to McGrath, and many from the Anchorage bowl.  With the RANA Program, APU is helping to grow professionals from within our own state.
 
Articles by Esther Beth Sullivan in:Upstaging Big Daddy, University of Michigan Press
Staging Resistance, University of Michigan Press
Modern Drama by Women, Routledge