Nic Hamel
Honors Program Assistant
Nic Hamel is an interdisciplinary scholar, educator, and theatre artist who was born in North Carolina, grew up in small towns all over Iowa, before residing in Chicago. His passion for theatre, philosophy, and disability-focused activism drives his efforts to create meaningful, provocative, and entertaining works whether he is writing, teaching, or performing.
In addition to scholarly work, Nic is a performer and a playwright, and has appeared in several plays and musicals on stages throughout the United States and Canada. Some of his favorite roles include Herbie in Gypsy, Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.
Education
- Ph.D, Performance as Public Practice, University of Texas at Austin
- M.F.A., Acting, Louisiana State University
- B.F.A., Theatre Studies, Illinois Wesleyan University
Research Interests
Theatre and Intellectual Disability
Critical Disability Studies
Political Theatre
Courses Taught
James Madison University
World Theatre Histories, Texts, and Performances II: Seventeenth Century to World War I
World Theatre Histories, Texts, and Performances III: Interwar Period to the Present
University of Texas at Austin
Introduction to Theatre
Theatre History Through the 18th Century
Theatre History Since the 18th Century
Louisiana State University
Acting I
Publications/Research Listings
Edited Volume
Co-Editor, Disability in Africa: Inclusion, Care, and the Ethics of Humanity, with Toyin Falola (University of Rochester Press, 2021)
Peer Reviewed Book Chapters
“Paradoxical Dramaturgies: Disability, Aesthetic Nervousness, and Postcolonial Resistance in the Dramas of Wole Soyinka” Disability in Africa: Inclusion, Care, and the Ethics of Humanity (University of Rochester Press, 2021)
Co-Author, “Africanizing Disability Studies,” with Toyin Falola, Disability in Africa: Inclusion, Care, and the Ethics of Humanity (University of Rochester Press, 2021)
Co-Author, “Disability Studies: A Disciplinary Overview,” with Toyin Falola and Anna Lee Carothers, Disability in Africa: Inclusion, Care, and the Ethics of Humanity (University of Rochester Press, 2021)
Reviews
“Review of Unfixable Forms: Disability, Performance, and the Early Modern English Theatre by Katherine Schaap Williams” Disability Studies Quarterly Blog, dsqblog.com, August 6, 2022.
“Review of Disability and Development in Burkina Faso: Critical Perspectives by Lara Bezzina” Disability Studies Quarterly, Vol 41, No. 1 (Winter 2021).
Awards
2026 Award for Outstanding Student Sponsored Organization Advisor - Honors Student Government