Welcome to the Board, Dean Shimizu

L-R: UCLA TFT Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu with MacArthur Fellow and NYU professor Nicole R. Fleetwood at opening night of “Master Harold”...and the Boys. Photo by Jordan Strauss.

Geffen Playhouse is proud to welcome Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Dean and Distinguished Professor of the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, to its Board of Directors. A leading scholar, artist, and advocate for inclusive storytelling, Shimizu brings a powerful vision shaped by her interdisciplinary work in performance studies, race and representation, and contemporary media.

Shimizu’s appointment further strengthens the longstanding relationship between Geffen Playhouse and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, one of the nation’s premier training grounds for theater artists, filmmakers, and scholars. That connection has long served as a bridge between academic inquiry and professional practice, with many UCLA students, alumni, and faculty contributing to Geffen’s productions both onstage and behind the scenes.

As Dean, Shimizu has championed innovation, equity, and collaboration across disciplines, values that closely align with Geffen Playhouse’s mission to develop and present bold, contemporary theater. We are thrilled to celebrate this new chapter in an already vibrant partnership between Geffen Playhouse and UCLA, and to welcome Dean Shimizu to the Board of Directors.