Maria Viera, Ph.D
(562) 985-8368
mviera@csulb.edu

Head of Critical Studies

Maria Viera is a tenured professor, Head of Critical Studies in the Department of Theatre Arts, and is coordinating the new MFA option in Dramatic Writing. She is co-author of the book Lighting for Film and Digital Cinematography (Wadsworth, 2004) and wrote the chapter on John Cassavetes for the book More than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (Wayne State Univer­sity Press, 2004). A scholar in contemporary and postmodern film theory, she has authored 19 published articles on topics as diverse as the work of Woody Allen to directing the short film. She has presented 20 papers at various professional conferences. Dr. Viera is a filmmaker who has largely made experimental and short fiction works, but also documentaries and TV spots. She wrote and directed two original mix-media productions, Playing with the Pieces and Singularities, for the University Players. She received her Ph.D. in Cinema-Television from USC.