Lights, Camera, Activism #600: Gladys Margaret Crane Papers

Published June 2, 2026 at 6:00 AM MDT

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Photograph of Professor Gladys M. Crane. Box 32, Gladys Margaret Crane papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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A scholarly article titled “Directing Early Shaw: Acting and Meaning in Mrs. Warren’s Profession” by Professor Gladys M. Crane. Box 18, Gladys Margaret Crane papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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A partial list of plays directed by Professor Gladys Margaret Crane at the University of Wyoming, 1986. Box 1, Gladys Margaret Crane papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of Professor Emerita Gladys Crane at the opening of the Crane Studio in the UW Fine Arts Building, 2000. Box 32, Gladys Margaret Crane papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

UW Professor Gladys Margaret Crane was a woman of many interests and talents. She received her Ph.D. in theater from Indiana University in 1968. A year later, she joined the UW faculty, where she spent 24 years in the theater department. Students described her as “a fantastic teacher”, “well read, entertaining and insightful.”

From 1987 to 1992, Crane headed the Department of Theater and Dance. Much of her scholarly research focused on the work of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Crane directed some of Shaw’s plays at UW.

In 2000, the Crane Studio, a rehearsal hall named for Professor Emerita Crane, opened in the UW Fine Arts building.

Crane’s interests extended beyond academics. She took bicycle tours of Europe. She attended conferences of the International Society for Humor Studies. She served as president of the League of Women Voters of Wyoming.

See the Gladys Margaret Crane papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.