College of Arts and Humanities

Nicola Olsen

Assistant Professor

Theatre and Dance | 559-278-7595 | Office: SA 212

nicolaolsen@mail.fresnostate.edu

Education

  • Ph.D., Theatre for Youth, Arizona State University
  • M.ED., Educational Leadership, Northern Arizona University
  • M.A., Directing, Roosevelt University, Chicago
  • B.F.A., Theatre Education, Utah State University

Courses Taught

  • Drama 137  Creative Dramatics
  • Drama 136(S) Puppetry (service-learning)
  • Drama 138A Children's Theatre
  • Drama 138B Children's Theatre Tour
  • CI 161 Methods and Materials for Theater in Secondary Schools
  • IAS 108 Interdisciplinary Arts Studies

NICOLA OLSEN is a youth theatre educator, dramaturg, director, and arts and health scholar.  She holds a Ph.D. in Theater for Youth from Arizona State University.  She taught high school theatre for 18 years in Yuma, Arizona and served at the Instructional Leader for the Fine Arts Department for four years.  She has directed "Nice & Slow" by Lojo Simon, "Along Came a Dog" adapted by Nicola Olsen from the book by Meindert DeJong, and "Lemonade Stand" by Lojo Simon for the Children's Tour at Fresno State. Since 2026, she is the Jan Lorning Chair of Theatre for Youth.
  • Theatre Education
  • Arts Integration
  • Arts in Medicine
  • Dramaturgy
  • Directing (Theatre for Young Audiences)

PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES
Olsen, N., Lan CW.  “Theatre-based Intervention for Suicide Prevention among Adolescents: A Scoping Review of Process and Impacts.” Journal of Applied Arts and Health.

Olsen, N. "Disrupting adverse childhood events (ACEs): Student perceptions of the counter-ACEs of high school drama." Youth Theatre Journal, 35(1–2), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/08929092.2021.1891162

Sonke, J., Sams, K., Morgan-Daniel, J., Pumariega, A., Mallick, F., Pesata, V., Olsen, N. “Systematic review of arts-based interventions to address suicide prevention and survivorship in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.”  Health Promotion Practice. 22(1_suppl):53S-63S. doi:10.1177/1524839921996350

Martinson, K. J., Olsen, N.  “Tripped Up by the Small Things: Dramaturging Institutional Processes in DEI Work” LMDA: Review. XXVII (1), 9-18.

BOOK CHAPTER 

“The Transformative Power of the Arts.” In CounterActivism.  Co-editors Dawn Gilpin and Sally Kitch. University of Washington Press.

PRACTIONER ARTICLES

Martinson, K. J., & Olsen, N. The Total Theatre Eye: A Conversation about Dramaturgy and Creativity. Theatre Topics, 31(2), 145-152.