Neil Blackadder
Neil Blackadder taught at Knox from 1998 until his retirement in 2019. As well as teaching dramatic literature and theatre history, dramaturgy, and playwriting, Neil directed over fifteen shows in Harbach Theatre, ranging from Molière, Schiller, and Chekhov to the college world premiere of Jamil Khoury’s Mosque Alert. Neil is the author of Performing Opposition: Modern Theater and the Scandalized Audience, and plays including Dad’s Guns, published in the collection 24 Gun Control Plays. In recent years, Neil has established himself as a prominent translator of contemporary drama from German and French, receiving major grants, including from PEN and the Howard Foundation. His translations of plays by Lukas Bärfuss, Ewald Palmetshofer, and Rebekka Kricheldorf have been produced in London, New York, Chicago, and elsewhere. Neil also directed several of his translations at Knox, including Ewald Palmetshofer’s Before Sunrise and Rebekka Kricheldorf’s Rosa and Blanca. Neil grew up and went to university in England, and first came to the US for graduate study in Comparative Literature. Before coming to Knox, he taught at Duke University.
Years at Knox: 1998 to 2019
Education
Ph.D., Comparative Literature, 1995, Princeton University
M.A., Comparative Literature, 1989, University of California Los Angeles
B.A., German and French, 1986, University of London, Goldsmiths' College.
Teaching Interests
European Theatre
Dramaturgy
Theatre History
Playwriting
What Students Say
"Neil always makes time outside of class to help students with everything from play revisions to monologue coaching. He has a great ability to offer guidance in such a way that allows his students to own their ideas while pushing them to further develop and explore. I always leave conversations with Neil feeling that he genuinely listens and considers what I have to say. He truly cares about his students and has a subtle sense of humor that makes class discussions interesting. A demanding professor in the best sense of the word—Neil makes his students want to challenge themselves."
-Mikah Berky, Theatre Major and Creative Writing Minor