Troy Coleman is a Ph.D. student in Theatre & Performance at the State University of New York Buffalo (UB), focusing on "Villains and Performer Wellness." With degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University, he integrates his scholarly insight with practical performance experience as a stage and screen union actor (AEA & SAG-AFTRA). Troy is trained in stage combat and is a certified Consent-Forward Artist through Intimacy Coordinators & Directors (IDC).

Troy’s research on villains and performer wellness explores the methodology of playing villains to understand the impact of roles that inflict unjustified physical or emotional harm. His goal is to prioritize safety and mental health for performers on and off stage, developing approaches to playing villains that avoid creating genuinely harmful experiences. His research incorporates gender studies, critical masculinity, trauma awareness, and socioeconomic influences. In short, he wants to help train safer, scarier baddies.

Published in his first year as a Ph.D. student, Troy's article in the Thornton Wilder Journal explores the inclination of humans to seek solace in luxury as a response to shared hardship, as depicted in Wilder's one-act play, The Pullman Car Hiawatha. "The Uncoupling of Humanity Aboard the Pullman Car Hiawatha" is available in the Thornton Wilder Journal (2023) 4 (2): 200–222. (https://doi.org/10.5325/thorntonwilderj.4.2.0200).

Beyond academia, Troy is an accomplished distance runner, a quiet vegan, and an animal rights advocate.