Christin Essin is an Associate Professor of Theatre History at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.  She has published numerous essays on theatre design artistry, technology, and backstage labor in publications such as Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, and Theatre History Studies. Her first book, Stage Designers in Early Twentieth Century America (2012), won a Golden Pen award from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.  She is currently writing her second book, a cultural history and ethnography of unionized technicians in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees who work in New York City’s commercial theatre industry. Before committing her career to teaching and scholarship, she worked professionally as a theatre electrician, lighting designer, and storyteller.