Rate My Professor Frank Galati

Frank Galati is Professor Emeritus of Performance Studies in the School of Communication at Northwestern University, where he served as a full-time faculty member from 1970 to 2005. A prominent figure in Arts and Culture, Galati earned his bachelor's degree in 1965, master's degree in 1967, and PhD in 1971, all from Northwestern University. He studied in the interpretation department under influential faculty such as Wallace Bacon, Robert Breen, Charlotte Lee, and Lilla Heston, and was directed by acting professor Alvina Krause in university productions. While pursuing his PhD, Galati served as an instructor of interpretation at Northwestern, and earlier taught in the speech department at the University of South Florida during his master's studies. He also held positions at the Goodman Theatre School and Roosevelt University before returning full-time to Northwestern. His teaching emphasized comprehensive actor training, intellectual rigor, writing, composition, and academic papers accompanying performances, drawing from history, science, and arts. Signature courses focused on adapting non-dramatic literature for the stage, influencing students like Mary Zimmerman—a Tony Award-winning director, MacArthur Fellow, and Northwestern performance studies professor—and Eric Rosen, fostering a new genre in American theatre through playful, collaborative rigor.