Picture of Teaching Practice

Mission

My mission is to help individuals find their light.

A light that is within, a light to be seen and heard, and a light as a tool engage with the world.

By inspiring curiosity of and connection with humanity, my charge is to equip artists to confidently and creatively express themselves through stories, art, and action in hopes to make a positive, meaningful impact.

Vision of Experience

The learning experience is built upon a foundation of:

  • selecting inspiring and relevant content

  • creating means for accessing learning

  • providing challenging and growth-oriented work

  • modeling and imparting a clear creative process with tangible outcomes

  • building a space of inclusion

  • melding individual agency in a collaborative setting

  • utilizing appropriate assessments and feedback structures

Theatre is a powerful tool for reflection, connection, and transformation. I recognize that systemic racism exists within the theatre industry and in our society at large, and I am committed to actively dismantling it within classrooms, rehearsal and creative spaces, public presentations and everything in between. To combat those systems, my driving force is one that fosters equity, inclusion, justice and belonging. Classes and performances are rooted in empathy, and as students, artists, and future leaders, we have a responsibility to engage with one another in ways that are respectful, reflective, and anti-oppressive. This means honoring the lived experiences of our classmates, and working to dismantle biases and barriers that limit whose stories are told and how they are told. It is my - and our - responsibility to amplify diverse voices within inclusive spaces where all artists and audiences feel seen, heard, and valued. Antiracism is not this one generic statement or gesture—it is ongoing work. I understand that this work is complex, uncomfortable, and necessary. I ask the community to hold me accountable as I strive to build a more just and equitable space for truly liberated artistry.

Antiracism

Visible forms of antiracist practice

  • Use & honor pronouns

  • Clearly state my mission, philosophy, ethos, positionality

  • Collaborate on classroom norms and practices

  • Providing opportunities up front to communicate access needs

  • Promote personal stories and social-cultural narratives

  • Seek out and infuse representative curriculum and content

  • Construct dialogues that fosters difference of opinion and acceptance of difference

  • Clearly state a need for individual agency in the learning, contribution, and outcome of the work

  • Admit to personal missteps, analyze the impact, hold accountability, strive for restoration, and continue self-reflection and awareness toward future implications

Self-assessments

  • In what ways do I create spaces that invite, encourage, support and celebrate different voices?

  • How do I scaffold an atmosphere of comfortable speaking up to disrupt bias, identity aggressions, assumptions, and perpetuation of discriminatory practices?

  • To what degree, or in what ways, do I nurture construction of a knowledgeable, confident self-identity and group identity in myself?

  • How do I promote my own comfortable, empathetic interactions with people from diverse backgrounds

  • In what ways do I foster my critical thinking about bias?

  • Under what circumstances do I cultivate my ability to stand up for myself and for others in the face of bias?

  • What are the challenges to achieving these goals in my life? What might be ways for me to develop each of these goals in my work? in my personal life?