“All art forms are in the service of the greatest of all arts: the art of living.”
― Bertolt Brecht
In the junior year of my undergraduate program, I was cast in a project entitled Dear Finder. It was a documentary style drama, about the many lives affected by the Holocaust. It was researched and written entirely by students and a supervising professor and premiered 10 years earlier to high acclaim. Each night, near the end of the play we recited dozens of names of actual victims of the horrors of the Holocaust, some who were family members of people in our audience. This production was life changing for me, as an artist and a person, as I was able to experience the true power of theatre. Beyond bright lights, over-the-top concepts and elaborate costumes, I believe that theatre is, at its core, the most effective way to share stories, teach empathy, and connect with other people’s lives. Since this production, my experiences in teaching theatre to youth, working with students experiencing economic and learning barriers, as well as my own continued performance work, have only strengthened this belief.
Upon receiving my undergraduate degree, a BFA in Acting, I began working for The Duluth Playhouse, teaching summer camps and classes for their Children’s Education program. One of my first experiences with The Playhouse was volunteering for a brand new program they were developing, Stage Play, designed specifically for children with autism. I was instantly hooked by the way the program broke theatre down to its most basic form. Stage Play allowed the students with autism to find a healthy way to express emotion, take on a character, and simply introduce themselves to an audience. I was enthralled by the way theatre could be used as a tool to break down a child’s communication walls that had existed for years. Progress was slow, never consistent and some days it felt like our class was doing nothing for a child who was locked in their own world. But on days when breakthroughs would occur, there was nothing like the elation I felt, even for the tiniest of baby steps.
After my undergraduate work, I also became a part of the AmeriCorps program. I worked in a public elementary school as a tutor and liaison to families who were homeless or in transitional housing. In this position, I provided educational and emotional support for students and families who struggled with the inconsistency of housing availability in a struggling economy. I soon learned that working with and working for this demographic is something I am passionate about.
Currently, as the Playhouse Education and Outreach Coordinator, I plan programming for our education program and involve the community in a way that is all encompassing. Students learn all aspects of theatre, as well as the values like compassion and empathy; the value of being a good person. Including this holistic balance in theatre education programming is incredibly important to me. I feel that used in the best way, theatre is an incredible tool to teach empathy and sharing of life experiences; a tool to grow cooperative, communicative people, willing to go the extra mile and always continue to grow and learn.
As an artist, I strive to create and take part in artistic ventures that make universal art education and theatre part of the community and people’s lives. I would like to create a school specifically for special education students and those with learning disabilities. It would be an artistically based program, offering music, dance, visual art, theatre and more, in an effort to discover the key that opens the door to each child’s learning style.
As an educator, I endeavor to bring theatre into the lives of those who have difficulty accessing it, whether due to economic status or special educational needs, by using the naturally cooperative and communicative art of theatre. I recognize the power of using theatre for social change, and want to use theatre as a tool to break down barriers. I want to create projects such as a touring program designed to interact with schools and classrooms to perform and teach theatre. In an effort to focus on anti-bullying, it would build positive social interactions with peers and increase self-confidence.
With my background of working both with children struggling with homelessness, and children living the daily challenges of autism, I want to continue to develop new ways that I can reach these and other outlying communities. I would like to create a literacy program for inmates focused on reading and producing plays, as a way to engage a new group of people rarely exposed to theatre.
As an artist, I want to take part in and create new works of theatre, programming and resources that will help these communities with limited access to the arts statewide, and even nationwide. I plan to study this through further personal performance, creation of new works focused on audience engagement particularly for youth, and developing educational programming pointed to those who have little access to theatre.
― Bertolt Brecht
In the junior year of my undergraduate program, I was cast in a project entitled Dear Finder. It was a documentary style drama, about the many lives affected by the Holocaust. It was researched and written entirely by students and a supervising professor and premiered 10 years earlier to high acclaim. Each night, near the end of the play we recited dozens of names of actual victims of the horrors of the Holocaust, some who were family members of people in our audience. This production was life changing for me, as an artist and a person, as I was able to experience the true power of theatre. Beyond bright lights, over-the-top concepts and elaborate costumes, I believe that theatre is, at its core, the most effective way to share stories, teach empathy, and connect with other people’s lives. Since this production, my experiences in teaching theatre to youth, working with students experiencing economic and learning barriers, as well as my own continued performance work, have only strengthened this belief.
Upon receiving my undergraduate degree, a BFA in Acting, I began working for The Duluth Playhouse, teaching summer camps and classes for their Children’s Education program. One of my first experiences with The Playhouse was volunteering for a brand new program they were developing, Stage Play, designed specifically for children with autism. I was instantly hooked by the way the program broke theatre down to its most basic form. Stage Play allowed the students with autism to find a healthy way to express emotion, take on a character, and simply introduce themselves to an audience. I was enthralled by the way theatre could be used as a tool to break down a child’s communication walls that had existed for years. Progress was slow, never consistent and some days it felt like our class was doing nothing for a child who was locked in their own world. But on days when breakthroughs would occur, there was nothing like the elation I felt, even for the tiniest of baby steps.
After my undergraduate work, I also became a part of the AmeriCorps program. I worked in a public elementary school as a tutor and liaison to families who were homeless or in transitional housing. In this position, I provided educational and emotional support for students and families who struggled with the inconsistency of housing availability in a struggling economy. I soon learned that working with and working for this demographic is something I am passionate about.
Currently, as the Playhouse Education and Outreach Coordinator, I plan programming for our education program and involve the community in a way that is all encompassing. Students learn all aspects of theatre, as well as the values like compassion and empathy; the value of being a good person. Including this holistic balance in theatre education programming is incredibly important to me. I feel that used in the best way, theatre is an incredible tool to teach empathy and sharing of life experiences; a tool to grow cooperative, communicative people, willing to go the extra mile and always continue to grow and learn.
As an artist, I strive to create and take part in artistic ventures that make universal art education and theatre part of the community and people’s lives. I would like to create a school specifically for special education students and those with learning disabilities. It would be an artistically based program, offering music, dance, visual art, theatre and more, in an effort to discover the key that opens the door to each child’s learning style.
As an educator, I endeavor to bring theatre into the lives of those who have difficulty accessing it, whether due to economic status or special educational needs, by using the naturally cooperative and communicative art of theatre. I recognize the power of using theatre for social change, and want to use theatre as a tool to break down barriers. I want to create projects such as a touring program designed to interact with schools and classrooms to perform and teach theatre. In an effort to focus on anti-bullying, it would build positive social interactions with peers and increase self-confidence.
With my background of working both with children struggling with homelessness, and children living the daily challenges of autism, I want to continue to develop new ways that I can reach these and other outlying communities. I would like to create a literacy program for inmates focused on reading and producing plays, as a way to engage a new group of people rarely exposed to theatre.
As an artist, I want to take part in and create new works of theatre, programming and resources that will help these communities with limited access to the arts statewide, and even nationwide. I plan to study this through further personal performance, creation of new works focused on audience engagement particularly for youth, and developing educational programming pointed to those who have little access to theatre.