Theatre, literature, and the cultural histories that shape them.
Kyna Hamill, PhD — Scholar, writer, and educator at Boston University.
About
She is also widely known for her research on the nineteenth-century minstrel history of the holiday song “Jingle Bells.” Her work has been featured in NPR, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, CBC Radio Canada, and other media outlets.
Hamill edited They Fight: Classical to Contemporary Stage Fight Scenes (Smith & Kraus), a collection of stage combat scenes emphasizing diverse weaponry and roles for women.
She also volunteers her time at the Medford Historical Society & Museum, assisting with reference and research on local history.
Upcoming Talk Sept. 10, 2026.
“The Intrigue and Brevity of the Filmland City Movie Industry in Medford”
Medford Public Library, 7:00 PM
Sign up here.
Kyna Hamill, PhD, is Director of the College of Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum and Master Lecturer at Boston University.
Her research focuses on Baroque theatricality, theatre and visual culture, and the commedia dell’arte tradition. She has published on early modern theatre and performance culture with particular attention to print culture, theatrical props, telescopes, staged violence, and representations of the monstrous in the seventeenth century.
Hamill is a specialist in the visual and theatrical legacy of the print artist Jacques Callot (1592–1635). Her forthcoming book with Routledge, Theatre and Print Culture in the Manner of Jacques Callot (2026), explores Callot’s influence on art, literature, and theatre.
Featured Publication
This book examines the visual and theatrical legacy of the seventeenth-century print artist Jacques Callot (1592–1635) and traces how his imagery shaped artistic, literary, and theatrical representations of performance in early modern Europe.
Theatre and Print Culture in the Manner of Jacques Callot
Now Available through Routledge
Selected Scholarship & Writing
“Why Is Homer’s Odyssey Suddenly Everywhere?”
BU Today — 25 February 2025
“Teaching the Commedia dell’arte Tradition in One Day”
(Co-authored with Matthew J. McMahan)
Theatre Topics — March 2025
“We Need to Keep Talking about Books, Not Ban Them”
BU Today — 18 August 2023
“What Happens Next? Four Literary Classics for a Post-COVID-19 World”
BU Today — 5 June 2020
“What Makes for a Satisfying Ending”
BU Today — 16 January 2020
“Lydia Maria Child: Gathering up the Fragments”
Exhibit Catalog Author, Medford Historical Society & Museum — June 2018.
“The story I must tell: “Jingle Bells” in the Minstrel Repertoire”
Cambridge University Press — 10 August 2017
Co-Author: “Staging Local, Staying Small”
HowlRound — 25 September 2016
“Blood is Ancient, Blood is In”
HowlRound — 5 January 2014
“Homer’s Trojan War on Boston Stages”
HowlRound — 31 January 2013
They Fight: Classical to Contemporary Stage Fight Scenes
Smith & Kraus Publishing, Inc. — 1 January 2003
Media & Interviews
BU Today
“As Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey hits Movie Screens, BU Students already know the Story” —
17 July 2026
NPR Morning Edition
“The Real Origin of the Holiday Classic ‘Jingle Bells’” — 26 November 2025
Christmas Past Podcast
“Backstory: Jingle Bells.” (Interview with Brian Earl) — November 2021
BU Today Interview
“Visiting Ancient Worlds Virtually” — 20 November 2020
Patch.com Interview
“Medford Post Office Mural: A grim reminder of the Past” — 25 June 2020
Quoted by Roy Wood Jr.
The Daily Show — 18 December 2018
CBC Radio Canada
“Canadian professor faces backlash after research uncovers Jingle Bells’ racist past” — 21 December 2017
The Guardian
“Is Jingle Bells racist? Despite backlash from the right, it's not black and white” — 22 December 2017
NPR Weekend Edition Sunday
“The ‘Jingle Bells’ Song Has Roots in Minstrelsy” — 25 December 2016
Boston Globe
“Medford at Center of ‘Jingle Bell Wars’” — 21 December 2016
HowlRound Theatre History Podcast
“Exploring the Surprising Origins of ‘Jingle Bells’” — 19 December 2016
Boston Globe Interview
“Mystery Surrounds Granite Marker on Stoneham Island” — 20 June 2016