Patricia Troxel, associate professor of English emeritus at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and a noted theater director, died April 21, 2013, from breast cancer. She was 56.
Troxel earned a B.A. in 1978 from Whitman College and an M.A. from UC, Davis in 1981. In 1986, she received a Ph.D. in English from Princeton. At the University of Kentucky, she was an assistant professor of dramatic literature, and she served on the literary staff of the Actors Theatre of Louisville. She directed, developed, and produced new plays for several venues, as well as programs in the arts and education.
Going to California in 1991, Troxel joined PCPA Theaterfest as a conservatory instructor and dramaturge. In 22 seasons she directed dozens of productions, as well as dramaturgy for more than 55 plays.
She also was active in regional Shakespeare festivals in Oregon and Utah, in addition to working with theater organizations in the U.K. and the United States. Troxel authored critical studies on classical and contemporary dramatists, including Shakespeare, Ferenc Molnár, and Tom Stoppard.
Mark Booher, PCPA’s artistic director, said Troxel’s “vibrant artistry, superlative intelligence, and tremendous kindness have left an indelible, affirmative, and powerful legacy.”
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.