Associate Professor of Theatre
Phone: (661) 654-2362
Office: Humanities Office Building Room 126
Mailbox is located in the Music Building.
aressler@csub.edu

Spring 2025 Office Hours:
Mondays & Wednesdays 10-11 and 2:15-3:15 
Tuesdays & Thursdays 1-2:15

Courses Taught:
Dramatic Literature and Performance for Youth (Theatre 3300)
Dramatic Activity for the Classroom (Theatre 3310)
Applied Dramatic Activity for the Classroom (Theatre 3320)
Young Audiences Touring Play (Theatre 2420/4420)

               

Dr. Amy Ressler, EdD, is an award-winning educator, storyteller, actor, theater director, and specialist in drama for learning. She currently serves as an Associate Professor of Theatre Education at California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), where she is also co-secretary of the California Faculty Association. With over 30 years of experience in teaching and directing, Dr. Ressler has earned recognition for her innovative contributions to arts education and community engagement. She is the author of Social Emotional Learning Through Drama: A Practical Guide to Immersive Devised Story Drama, and she has presented her work at conferences both nationally and internationally, sharing her expertise in theater education, drama-based learning, and social-emotional development. 

At CSUB, Dr. Ressler teaches courses such as Dramatic Activity for the Classroom, Dramatic Literature & Performance for Youth, and Applied Dramatic Activity. She also directs the university's annual Theatre for Young Audiences touring production, which brings live theater to schools throughout the Bakersfield area. Her teaching and directing philosophies are deeply rooted in Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed and Viola Spolin’s Applied Improvisation, emphasizing the transformative power of storytelling, play, and communal exploration. Through her work, she empowers her students to use drama as a tool for addressing social and cultural issues, fostering emotional intelligence, and creating meaningful change within their communities. 

Dr. Ressler earned her EdD in Educational Leadership for Learning and Change from National Louis University and a Master of Fine Arts in Child Drama (Theatre Education) from Arizona State University. A lifelong meditator and advocate for the arts, she views theater as a space where emotion, creativity, and consciousness intersect to inspire both personal growth and social action. Her passion for teaching and directing reflects her dedication to helping others connect more fully with themselves and the world through the power of drama and storytelling.