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Annie S

- Research Program Mentor

JD at Columbia University

Expertise

Law; Intellectual Property Law; Law & the Arts; Copyright Law; Trademark Law; Performance & the Law; Media law; Performance Studies; Theater Studies; American Studies; Shakespeare; Queer Theory; Art & Literature

Bio

Hi! My name is Annie, and my academic expertise lies at the intersection of law and the arts. In my multidisciplinary undergraduate and MA programs, my studies spanned fields including theater studies, cinema studies, art history, queer theory, American studies, and political and social history. My work focused on the performance of everyday life, and I completed theses exploring subway dancing and media rhetoric surrounding mass immigration raids. In law school and in my legal work, I focused on intellectual property law, media law, and art law. I'd love to work with you on any project related to the humanities, the arts, the law, or any combination of these subjects! My personal interests include theater directing, classical music, old-time Appalachian and Irish fiddle music, and road cycling. I'm also a huge Shakespeare enthusiast and have directed many Shakespeare plays and scenes since I started my first job at an outdoor Shakespeare theater company in high school.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Trademarks and Copyright In and As Art

How have artists incorporated other people's copyright- and/or trademark-protected logos, photographs, writings, designs, and music into their own work, and what are the legal ramifications of doing so? What is infringement and what is artistic expression? Explore this hazy and exciting area of the law, learn about the basics of copyright, trademark, and trade dress protection, and think critically about deep questions like what counts as art and what it means to own the rights to something intangible. This project would make a fantastic academic research paper.

Exploring Shakespeare's "Problem Plays"

Take a deep dive into some of Shakespeare's less-popular but endlessly interesting "problem plays" and find out what has troubled actors, directors, and scholars about these plays for centuries. What can genre-bending works like Measure for Measure, All's Well That Ends Well, Cymbeline, and Troilus and Cressida teach us about telling stories outside of traditional narrative boundaries? How can a creative work's formal qualities highlight, reinforce, or challenge its substance? What subversive choices and themes are present in these plays that continue to inspire artists today? Explore questions like these in a project culminating in an academic paper, a piece of creative writing, or a work of performance art.

Prepare to Direct a Classic

Choose a stage play from your favorite classical or contemporary playwright and get ready to bring it to life. Complete scene breakdowns, text analyses, mood boards for costume and set designs, a sound design playlist, and broad casting objectives for auditions. Learn how to experiment with the various tensions at play in any scene, heighten the drama of inner and interpersonal conflicts, and highlight the themes you want to draw the audience's attention to. Explore how to use theater to raise awareness of political and social issues.

Languages I know

French (reading proficiency)

Teaching experience

I taught students ages 8–18 at the Rebel Shakespeare Company in Salem, MA for five summers. I lead workshops, directed scenes, and worked with students individually and in small groups to build their understanding of Shakespeare's language and world and to help develop their confidence on stage. I also coached a moot court team through the Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights at Columbia Law School, providing multiple rounds of feedback on written briefs and preparing students for their oral arguments.

Credentials

Work experience

Debevoise & Plimpton (2022 - 2022)
Summer Associate
The WNET Group (New York PBS Station) (2021 - 2021)
Legal Intern
The WNET Group (New York PBS Station) (2018 - 2020)
Administrative Coordinator
Rebel Shakespeare Company (2012 - 2016)
Teaching Assistant & Director

Education

New York University
BA Bachelor of Arts (2018)
Performance Studies
New York University
MA Master of Arts (2019)
Performance Studies
Columbia University
JD Juris Doctorate
Law

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