Holly E. McDonald is an Assistant Lecturer and teaching artist. She holds a BFA from WVU and an MFA in Theatre/Performance from the University of Alabama. Holly began her career in Washington, D.C., where she worked successfully as an actor and arts educator.

Holly is currently a theatre faculty member in the School of Performing Arts at the University of Central Florida, where she teaches at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. She is also a Faculty Affiliate with the Women’s and Gender Studies and supervises graduate teaching assistants. Holly has taught a wide range of courses, from intermediate acting to text analysis.

A trailblazer in course design and instruction, Holly continues to develop and teach theatre courses across multiple formats—including face-to-face, web-based, mixed-mode, and livestream environments—to enhance accessibility for a broad range of learners. Her approach supports national and international students, as well as traditional, non-traditional students.

Holly’s leadership and innovation have led to numerous “firsts” within the UCF Theatre program. She was the first faculty member to develop and teach a fully web-based theatre course and to create content for an interactive digital textbook in collaboration with GRL, where she was recognized by the publisher as Author of the Month. She also pioneered courses in Queer Theatre, Theatre for Social Engagement, and Women in Theatre, creating vital curricular space for a broader range of perspectives and stories.

Holly’s commitment to community engagement and applied theatre is further evidenced by her contributions to initiatives such as the Florida Prison Education Project, for which she developed and taught the first web-based theatre survey course for incarcerated learners, and the Veterans Legacy Program, where she developed community-centered programming for veterans and K–12 students. She also played a foundational role in shaping broader institutional initiatives, including the original development of UCF’s General Education Program and its first cultural competencies.

As a founding contributor, she helped launch the BA track in Socially Engaged Theatre and forged a partnership with national and internationally recognized grassroots organization to collaborate in forming a theatre troupe dedicated to addressing critical community issues.

A committed campus and community advocate, Holly is a certified UCF ALLY and Secular Safe Zone participant, underscoring her dedication to equity, community engagement, and student success in all aspects of her work.