David Gorshein teaches at the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, where he leads high-enrollment courses that explore how performance reflects and shapes social, political, and cultural life across historical periods and contemporary contexts.
Alongside his academic work, Gorshein helps audiences engage with complex ideas through conferences, presentations, learning experiences, and strategic communications. He has partnered with the It Gets Better Project, Yum! Brands, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Chase, the United States Tennis Association, Crunch Fitness, and Cabi to develop conference programming, executive communications, technology adoption initiatives, and learning experiences for audiences ranging from executive teams to thousands of attendees.
At UCLA, Gorshein has developed and taught more than 65 courses reaching over 10,000 students. He has received UCLA’s Affordable Course Materials Initiative Award and Continuing Lecturer status and serves as a UCLA Admissions representative.
He serves as a Board Director of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation.
His research has been published in Theatre Journal, The Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, and the anthology A Critical Inquiry into Queer Utopias. He has received fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and the Chekhov International Theatre Festival.
Gorshein holds a Ph.D. in Theater and Performance Studies from UCLA and a B.A. in Communication from the University of Michigan.
A GLAAD Media Award nominee, Gorshein made history with his husband, Scott Cronick, when their wedding, officiated by Conan O’Brien, became the first same-sex marriage to air on late night TV.