Shirlee Hurst Shields has a B.S. in Speech and an M.F.A. in Theater from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in Theater, Speech, and Cinema from BYU. She has given speech communication seminars to thousands of participants. Private students include political candidates, professionals, business executives, church and community leaders. She also is a playwright, director, and choreographer. She has written published manuals and magazine articles on the subjects of Speech, Theatre, and Dance, plus three produced plays and six readers’s theatre scripts. She is a published playwright and author with the titles WHERE IS JILL?, HIRUM BEEBE, COMING OF AGE, and the book Change Your Voice Change Your Image. Her work has been staged at the Babcock Theatre, BYU, BYU Hawaii, the Palm Canyon Theatre in Palm Springs, CA, Assembly Hall at the Utah State Capitol, U of U, Promised Valley Playhouse, and numerous community stages. She has taught at BYU Education Week and been on the boards of U. of U. Fine Arts and Pioneer Memorial Theatre. She is the founder, board chair, and artistic director for Babcock Performing Readers. She took additional studies at USC. Married to attorney Jed W. Shields, she is the mother of two sons, and two daughters.
Musical Authored
Other Plays Authored
- Due Process: Hiram Beebe, Alias The Sundance Kid — a play
- Coming of Age — a play
- Merry Christmas, George Bailey — A staged radio play
Books In Print:
- Change Your Voice Change Your Image — Non-fiction
- The Popcorn Wreath — Christmas Memoir
- They Sang, Danced, Played and Prayed — Historical/Cultural
I just received notice that my dear friend and author Shirlee Hurst Shields passed away in November of 2022. I will miss our laughter-filled conversations in person, on the phone, and digitally.