Name: Lara Starcevich
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Lara Starcevich
392 W. Alder Street
Sequim, WA 98382
Cell: 360-809-2167
Email: lstarcevich@pencol.edu
Education
Ph. D. University of Colorado, Boulder (Theatre), 2001.
M. A. Wimbledon School of Art, London (Fine Art & Theatre), 1993.
B. A. Vassar College, New York (Art), 1990.
Work Experience
Faculty Chair, Humanities Department Peninsula College, May 2023 – present.
House Speaker, Faculty Senate Peninsula College, Washington, 2022 – 2024.
Associate Professor, Speech/Drama Peninsula College, 2008 – present.
Adjunct, Communication Department Walla Walla Community College, 2020-present.
Adjunct, Communication Department Seattle Community College, 2020.
Program Mgr/Volunteer Coordinator Gunnison Arts Center, 2006 – 2008.
Adjunct, Communication/Drama Western State College, Colorado, 2006 – 2008.
Teacher, English/Drama Holy Name Catholic School, Alaska, 2005 – 2006.
Instructor, Speech/Drama Western State College, Colorado 2001 – 2004.
Community Arts Coord., Arts Chair Clatsop Community College, Oregon, 2000 – 2001.
Instructor, English/Drama Aztec High School, New Mexico, 1999 – 2000.
Graduate Part-time Instructor University of Colorado, Boulder, 1998.
Teaching Assistant University of Colorado, Boulder, 1995 – 1997.
Lecturer, Fine Art/Theatre Wimbledon School of Art, London, 1991 – 1992.
Film & Theatre Productions
Co-director, She Kills Monsters, Peninsula College, 2026.
Producer, 72 Hour Film Challenge, Studio Bob, Port Angeles, 2025.
Musical director/director, The 100% Totally Improvised Musical, Peninsula College, 2025
Producer, The Curse of the Scottish Play, Peninsula College, 2025.
Playwright, My AI Boyfriend–Chattsworth, Scotopia Festival finalist, 2025.
Producer, The Very Short Film Festival, Peninsula College, 2021-2025.
Producer, The Very Short Play Festival, Peninsula College, 2021 – 2025.
Producer, Medea, Peninsula College, 2022.
Director, The Guest, Peninsula College, 2021.
Director, Comedy Improv Show, Peninsula College, 2020.
Director, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, presented on Zoom, Peninsula College, 2020.
Director, The Bard Bares It All, Peninsula College, 2019.
Director, Find Your Voice Play Festival, PC, 2017-2018.
Director, The Sea is a Restless Whore, PC and the Metta Room, 2016.
Artistic Director, Misfit Manifesto, Peninsula College, 2016.
Co-Director, Salome, Peninsula College, 2014.
Artistic Director, Find Your Voice New Play Festival, Peninsula College, 2013.
Director, Freak Like Me (musical, world premiere), PC & PALOA co-production, 2012.
Director, Festival of Student-Directed One Act Plays, Peninsula College, 2012.
Director, Cannibal: The Musical, PC & PALOA co-production, 2011.
Director, Festival of Student-Directed One Act Plays, Peninsula College, 2011.
Director, The Rocky Horror Show, PC & PALOA co-production, 2010.
Director, Festival of Student-Directed One Act Plays, Peninsula College, 2010.
Director, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, PC & PALOA co-production, 2009.
Director, Psst… I have something to tell you mi amor, Peninsula College, 2009.
Director, Festival of Student-Directed One Act Plays, Peninsula College, 2009.
Director, The Non-PC PC Comedy Club Showcase, Peninsula College, 2009.
Director, The Clean House, Peninsula College, 2008.
Director, SonofaGunn “Paddler on the Rocks”, Gunnison Arts Center, 2008.
Director, The Book of Liz, Gunnison Arts Center, 2006.
Director, The Wayward Elf, Ketchikan, Alaska, 2005.
Director, The Pajama Game, Western State College, 2003.
Director, The Good Doctor, Western State College, 2004.
Director, “Political Incorrectness” (student-directed plays), Western State College, 2002.
Director, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Western State College, 2002.
Director, “Menage a Trois: Improv, Stand-up, and Sketch Comedy,” Western State College, 2002.
Director, “Night at the Improv,” Western State College, 2002.
Director, Variations on the Death of Trotsky, Aztec High School, 2000.
Director, The Love Doctor, Aztec High School, 2000.
Director, Approaching Zanzibar, Aztec High School, 2000.
Director, The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild, Aztec High School, 1999.
Director, Am I Blue, University of Colorado-Boulder, 1997.
Director, Nightsong for the Boatman, University of Colorado-Boulder, 1997.
Asst. Director, Troilus and Cressida, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, 1997.
Asst. Director, Woyzeck, University of Colorado-Boulder, 1997.
Playwright
My AI Boyfriend: Chattsworth, selected and produced by Scotopia Short Play Festival, North Carolina, 2025.
“Let me be a cat,” Mini Plays Review: an International Journal of Short Plays & Monologues. June 2025.
The Finger Show. Solo writer/actor/producer, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2023.
Women at the Crossroads Storytelling Event. Featured writer/performer, 2021.
The Lost (and unfortunately found) Erotic Memoirs of Cherry Poppins. Featured in Hey Gurl with Jonathan Mitchell, The Cherry Bomb, 2016.
I Can’t Fap to This, Find Your Voice Play Festival, Peninsula College, 2016.
The Rathole Project, ensemble playscript, Peninsula College, 2015 to present.
Festival of Student Directed One Act Plays, Peninsula College, 2008 – 2012.
Find Your Voice Play Festival, Peninsula College, 2013 – present.
SonofaGunn: Ain’t My Wagon, ensemble playscript, Gunnison Arts Center, 2007.
The Night the Answering Machine Saved Her Life, The Spooky Plays, Crested Butte Mountain
Theatre, 2002.
Original Stand-up Comedy, performed in Denver and Gunnison, 2002.
Actor
Murder on the Olympic Express, an improvised murder mystery, Irrigation Festival, Sequim, 2025.
The 100% Totally Improvised Musical, Peninsula College, 2025.
The Finger Show. Solo writer/actor/producer, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2023.
Fairy Godmother in Goldilocks and the Ultimate Rampage. Peninsula College, 2022.
CM Digital Artist magazine. Featured model, 2022. https://pubhtml5.com/ovzkm/fudr/?fbclid=IwAR1XU8YFU0dfVE3E0ntfI1Rj3SpKKzCvAmh4hYTAAs4jPdB18tGWP9Zl5sg
Women at the Crossroads Storytelling Event. Featured writer/actor, 2021.
LOLO Improv Comedy troupe. Co-founder and performer, 2020-present.
Tourists, a film written and directed by Jon Jost, 2019.
Fairy Godmother in Snow White & the Five Housemates, Lincoln Theatre, Port Angeles, 2018.
Improv actor and Talk Show host, The Average Joe Talk Show, Itunes, 2018 – present.
Improv actor in WhoDunnit Downtown, First Friday Art Walk, Sequim, 2018.
Improv performer/musician at Open Mics in Sequim, Seattle, and Chicago, 2017-present.
The Lost (and unfortunately found) Erotic Memoirs of Cherry Poppins. Featured in Hey Gurl with Jonathan Mitchell, The Cherry Bomb, 2016.
Improv and sketch comedy writing attendee, Second City (Chicago & L.A.), 2010 – present.
Stand-up Comedy/Improv/Singer-songwriter, Coo Coo’s Nest, Port Angeles, 2015 – present.
Salome, Peninsula College, 2014.
Find Your Voice Play Festival, Peninsula College, 2013 – 15.
The Non-PC PC Comedy Club Showcase, Peninsula College, 2009-12.
The GAC Comedy Club Showcase, Gunnison Arts Center, 2008.
The GAC Comedy Club Showcase, Gunnison Arts Center, 2007.
The Last Chance Inn, Calamity Gulch, Gunnison Arts Center, 2006.
The Vagina Monologues, Gunnison Arts Center, 2004.
Headwaters Conference, Western State College, Gunnison, 2001-2002.
Stand-up Comedy monologue, ComedyWorks, Denver. 2002.
Vocalist, Nameday, Odyssey Theatre, 1995.
Suzie, An Evening with Stephen Leacock, Mohonk Arts Festival, 1990, 1992.
Designer
The Clean House, Peninsula College, 2008.
The Book of Liz, Gunnison Arts Center, 2006.
Macbeth, Western State College, 2004.
Barefoot in the Park, Gunnison Arts Center, 2003.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Western State College, 2002.
Variations on the Death of Trotsky, Aztec High School, 2000.
The Love Doctor, Aztec High School, 2000.
Approaching Zanzibar, Aztec High School, 2000.
The Importance of Being Irish, Mohonk Arts Festival, New York, 1992.
An Evening with Stephen Leacock, Mohonk Arts Festival, New York, 1992.
Pericles (Asst. Set Designer), California Institute of the Arts, 1991.
Picnic (Asst. Set Designer), California Institute of the Arts, 1991.
Dangerous Liaisons (Asst. Set Designer), California Institute of the Arts, 1991.
Publications & Presentations
“From politics to AI, a Wilmington short play festival takes on challenging subjects.” Star News Online. 18 Mar. 2025.
“If I were a standup comedian, this is what I’d say—.”Presenter/panelist at Raymond Carver Writing Festival, Port Angeles, Washington, 2024. Presenter and panelist.
Diary of a Hippie, Single Mom who Vents on Social Media because it’s Cheaper than Therapy. Amazon. Amazon, 2021. https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Hippie-Single-Mom-because/dp/B09JJGSR75?ref_=ast_author_dp
Blogger on Medium.com. https://larastarcevich.medium.com/.
“thE WERST noveLL ever,” flash fiction piece, Writers Egg magazine, United Kingdom, 2021.
The Lost (and, unfortunately, found) Erotic Memoirs of Flora Ludmilla, self-published, Amazon.com, 2018.
Aphorisms for In-between Stoplights: Thoughts that flit through my brain when I’m alone driving/hiking/sitting/biking, Amazon.com, 2017.
“The Lost (and, unfortunately, found) Erotic Memoirs of Flora Ludmilla.” Crosscurrents Magazine, 2017.
Memoir excerpts shared at Reading For Hunger, PA Library, 2015.
Memoir excerpts shared at Fourth Friday Readings, Writers on the Spit, 2015.
Creative Writing workshop leader, North Olympic Land Trust silent auction, 2015.
“Improving Lives One Life at a Time.” Sequim Arts & Sciences Lecture Series, 2009.
Interview with Pattie Miles Van Beuzekom, Studium Generale, Peninsula College, 2009.
Discussion of the work of playwright, Ana Castillo, Studium Generale, Peninsula College, 2009.
Grants & Special Awards
Grant, collaborate with professional artists to do 100% Totally Impro Musical, 2025.
Stipend Award, write/perform solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2023.
Sabbatical Award, Improv and its impact on interpersonal communication, 2018-2019.
Peninsula College Foundation Grant for continuing education in drama and psychology, 2017.
Peninsula College Foundation Grant for “Flora Ludmilla’s Erotic Memoirs,” 2016-2017.
Peninsula College Foundation Grant for “The Rathole Project,” 2015.
Peninsula College Exceptional Faculty Award, 2014.
Travel Grant, Second City Adult Immersion Intensive in Improv and Sketch Comedy, 2009.
Oregon Council for the Humanities grant, Arts & Ideas at Clatsop Community College, 2000.
Lifetime member, California Scholarship Federation, 1986 – present.
Member, American Academy of Achievement, (sponsor: Louis L’Amour), 1986.
Regent’s Scholarship, University of California, Los Angeles, 1986.
Dean’s Honor List, Cornell University, 1986.
Valedictorian and Summa Cum Laude graduate, Marymount High School, Los Angeles, 1986.
Professional Service
Summer film and theater youth camps, Peninsula College, 2023-present.
Chair, Humanities division, Peninsula College, 2023-present.
Professional development: advanced improv workshops, Everett Improv, 2023-present.
Professional development: UDOIT workshop led by CETL, Peninsula College, 2025.
First Speaker, Faculty Senate, Peninsula College, Washington, 2022 – 2024.
Professional development: Writing workshop with Jonathan Evison, Raymond Carver Writing Festival, Peninsula College, 2024.
Adjudicator, American College Theatre Festival, University of Portland’s The Guest, a new Zoom play by Maddie Nguyen, 2020.
Advisor, Drama/Comedy Club, Peninsula College, 2008 – present.
Speech on ‘Interviewing Tips’ for the Business Club, Peninsula College, 2018.
Media Tech screening committee, 2018.
Tenure committees (Kathy Bown, Dawnette Johnson, Mike Hansen), 2017.
Advisor, Dance Club, Peninsula College, 2016 – 2017.
Kennedy Center for the American College Theatre Festival (faculty advisor for Irene Ryan Acting competition candidates from PC), 2008 – present.
Chair, Humanities Division, Peninsula College, 2012 – 15.
Cultural Events Committee, 2011 – present.
Curriculum Committee, Peninsula College, 2009.
Arts & Humanities Committee, Peninsula College, 2009.
Curriculum Committee, Western State College, 2004.
Founder/Advisor, The Non-PC PC Comedy Club, Peninsula College, 2008-present.
Board member, Southwest Colorado Community Theatre Festival, 2006 – 2008.
Judge for Acting competition, Rocky Mountain Theatre Association, Gunnison, 2007.
Founder/Advisor, The GAC Comedy Club, Gunnison Arts Center, 2006-2008.
Founder/Advisor, The Western State College Comedy Club, 2001-2004.
References
Craig Bach (colleague)
Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness
Allan Hancock College
800 South College Drive
Santa Maria, CA 93454
805-922-6966, ext 3755
craig.bach@hancockcollege.edu
Dr. Matt Teorey (colleague)
Peninsula College
1502 E. Lauridsen, Blvd.
Port Angeles, WA 98362
360-417-6360
mteorey@pencol.edu
Dr. Ritu Lauer (colleague)
Peninsula College
1502 E. Lauridsen, Blvd.
Port Angeles, WA 98362
360-477-7909
rlauer@pencol.edu
Mark Valentine (colleague, improv collaborator)
312 E. 10th Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362
mark.valentine2@gmail.com
360-912-2189
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