º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ

What is your occupation? What is your current job (roles and responsibilities)?

I am a freelance dancer and choreographer! I devise full-length dance works with collaborators as well as dance for projects around the city and in Vermont. Additionally, I produce interdisciplinary performance shows. I also work as an educator. 

What are the one or two events, courses, or people that stand out in your mind from your time at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

I am deeply impacted as a professional artist by the teaching and guidance I was blessed to receive from Professor Aretha Aoki and Professor Gwyneth Jones, starting my first year in 2016 through now as a working artist. Both women guided me to find my unique artistic voice, make work that is thorough, intentional, and generous, and to view a career in the arts as viable and valuable. I owe my current professional work to their teaching. 

Do you have any advice for current students at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Commit to rigorous performance research in your devising process. Spend hours in the studios creating messy and unfinished work, and allow it to mold into meaning over time. Trust in and nourish relationships with your professors and other artists. Also, some of the best learning comes from play and joy, which can be equally as rigorous of an artistic practice! 

How has your º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ education and experience helped you and informed the work that you do?

I constantly draw on the skills that were drilled into me from studying Theater — especially Physical Theater and Clown — in my comedy. The simplest things often make the biggest difference in capturing an audience and getting laughs: Planting your feet. Being comfortable existing in your body on stage. Projecting to the back of the house. Being intentional about stillness and focus, rather than letting your eyes and body wander. I gained an intuitive grasp on my presence on stage from my training at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, and that has had an enormous impact on my career.

Do you have any advice for current students at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

As important as studying the craft of Theater is finding your voice. What do you love doing? What thrills you and brings you genuine joy and excitement? What can you write that no one else can? How can you perform a role in a way no one else could? This is the time to experiment and discover what you like and what you don't. It might not be what you expect. See what comes out of you and follow the joy. While I was studying, I thought the ideal was to eliminate myself in service of a piece. Now I realize the opposite: Figuring out what you, uniquely, bring to the table, and working to deliver that every time, is how you can serve a piece better than anyone else. 

What is your occupation? What is your current job (roles and responsibilities)?

I am a dramaturg, and am currently the Literary Manager at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. In both of these roles, I work primarily with scripts and playwrights. At McCarter, I manage the database of project submissions that come through the theater, I read scripts and do coverage in the surrounding areas, I serve as the dramaturg on our mainstage productions and new plays in development, and I administer the theater’s commission process. I am also a member of the Artistic Staff, so I participate in season planning and other strategic programming conversations with Emily Mann (McCarter’s Artistic Director and Resident Playwright), and the rest of the Artistic Staff.

How has your º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ education and experience help you and inform the work that you do?

At º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, I honed my writing, research, and critical thinking abilities; I learned how to collaborate with others, how to manage my time effectively, how to multitask, and how to face complex challenges head on—these are all skills that I use every day in my job at McCarter.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

In my last two years at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, I worked closely with my advisor, Professor Kitch, on two Shakespeare research projects that defined much of my studies in the English Department. My major culminated in an Independent Study on the representations of power and kingship in Shakespeare’s Richard II and Marlowe’s Edward II that I completed in the final semester of my senior year. It was through my work with Professor Kitch over the course of my four years at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, and my studies of Shakespeare with him specifically, that I discovered my love for examining theatrical texts through a literary and analytical lens. Professor Kitch always encouraged me to apply what I had learned in my Theater studies to my work in the English Department, and it was in combining these two areas of inquiry that I discovered my passion for dramaturgy.

What is your occupation? What is your current job (roles and responsibilities)? 

I freelance with art organizations. I am an artistic curator for the Full Spectrum Features Community grant and a screenwriting instructor for Green Shirt Studio - a local acting studio in Chicago. Above all, I'm producing my films, collaborating with my peers on their projects, and creating opportunities for myself. 

How has your º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ education and experience helped you and informed the work that you do?

º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ sharpened my critical thinking skills. I often exercise this skill by writing scripts or providing coverage for screenplays. º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ pushed me to go beyond the surface level of subjects and think multidimensional. 

Has studying Theater and Dance impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

I'm grateful to have studied theater and dance. Dance made me aware of the limitations and capabilities of my body, thus allowing me to become in tune with myself. Theater made me appreciate my humanity and the world around me. These disciplines taught me the importance of being present, which is an asset in navigating life and presenting the fullness of your identity. 

What are the one or two events, courses, or people that stand out in your mind from your time at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

I remember specifically the immersive theater and directing classes with Davis. Both classes challenged me to step outside my creative comfort zone to share my vulnerabilities in my art, which has served me in knowing my voice as a director. 

Do you have any advice for current students at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Build a practice of self-reflection. These four years of undergrad are precious. Every experience, whether beneficial or challenging, colors who you are, so take time to process what you learn about yourself and others. This habit of check-in will build self-trust, and if you plan to go into the arts, this art of self-reflection will aid you in defining your artist voice and your values as an artist.   

Read  by Canvas Rebel.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Improv with Davis [Robinson] my freshman year - As part of the course, we had to attend an Improvabilities student improv group performance. And as I sat in Pickard Theater, I thought: “this is fun to watch, but it’d be way more fun to do.” And the following Autumn, I auditioned for the student group, and have been performing comedy ever since.

Acting I with Abbie [Killeen] - I took Acting I during the second semester of my senior year - because time is a flat circle - and in our final scenes, I finally figured out the work of acting. After the scene ended, Abbie said something to the effect of: that is real acting. And now, you always have the choice.

I think about both of these moments and courses, because they encapsulate two of the gifts that º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ Theater gave me: the embodied awareness of the effort needed to be an artist — and the belief that it is possible.

Do you have any advice for current students at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Play. Play. Play. And in so doing, build the habit of creating and sharing new work. Did I mention play? You should play. And do the readings. And go outside in nature with your friends.

What is your occupation? What is your current job (roles and responsibilities)?

Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s MFA Professional Actor Training Program. Student of acting, teacher of acting.

Resident company member at Playmakers Repertory Theater. Available for all shows cast in season, currently equity performer in world premier of Dairyland. 

How has your º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ education and experience help you and inform the work that you do?

After my theater classes, I entered the Chicago acting community where I immediately found my skills an asset to the organizations I worked with. 

My Psychology classes and liberal arts background meant that I could offer a wider base of knowledge as a collaborator. 

I don’t think I was terribly good in the playwrighting class I took, but in a few years the lessons had settled and when I returned to writing, I found the lessons there and ready to help with some poignant self-started works which were well received.

Has studying Theater and Dance impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

Theater is a study of humanness. It is perpetual learning, perpetual imagining, perpetual craft of the ephemeral. It is many disciplines, and anyone would be enriched to play a role outside their personal experience and give it the complexity they enjoy in their own lives. It’s a nebulous career path, but it is integral to the person I am today.

Also studying body movement then lets  you analyze how other people carry their frame, and what that might signify for character, so that’s cool.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

It is mostly the friends and the acting  roles I enjoyed while at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ. Physical Theater with Davis Robinson. Cultural and Literary Theory (!!!)

Do you have any advice for current student at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Everyone started somewhere. Your world continues after º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ. Enjoy your time, but know that the skills and knowledge you are developing will require attention in the years to follow (if you want to improve). And always: you are challenged with the tension of being curious and expansive while remembering your privileges.

If you want to think about graduate school for theater and don’t want/can’t have loans for it, google the URTAs (UPTAs, too, for those pursuing a career in theater after graduation)

What is your occupation? What is your current job (roles and responsibilities)?

I am a drama teacher in a K-12 public school. I teach a “Literacy & Theater” course, and I run the after-school performing arts program (which includes a main stage play, tech crew, improv troupe, a cappella ensemble, andfilm club).

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Davis’ comedy class. Any modern dance (technique & repertoire) with Gwen or Paul. Judy’s stage design course. Rehearsals! Work-study with Michael, Deb, and Julie. Educational Theater with Libby. Producing with Joan. Noma! “L’Impresario,” an independent study with Anton Handel (Class of ‘07). Suziki/Viewpoints with the SITI Company. Winter holiday parties. Department Passover seders. Production post-mortems. Tech weekends and production weeks!

Between my theater courses and my work-study, I remember my Theater & Dance days to be the most empowering, challenging, stimulating, fulfilling, and loving times of my college experience.

Do you have any advice for current students at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

• Take ALL the courses.
• Work backstage and take a stab on-stage.
• Dance!
• Be kind and respectful.
• Learn from the entire faculty and staff.
• Be responsible (to your castmates, your collaborators, your mentors, your co-workers, the production, the craft…).
• Don’t be a diva; work hard and stay humble.

How has studying Theater and Dance impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)?

I believe that studying theater (and other art forms) has made me more confident in myself and my work; specific and responsive to details; and more in touch with myself, the world, and those around me. I’ve seen my peers and students on similar journeys. While I have been lucky to build a professional career in theater, I think the more lasting impact in studying the arts is carrying this type of learning, empathy, and creativity into every part of our lives.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

I have many fond memories of º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, but some of the highlights include Suzan Lori-Parks’ guest lecture, sharing a meal with Edward Albee, and knitting a scarf onstage while wearing a corset during a production of Measure for Measure.

Do you have any advice for current students at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Remember that you are building your personal and professional support networks right now. There are a wealth of resources in front of you that are not always easy to see at first. Take advantage of the opportunities º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ provides for you, support your peers, and thank people often.

How has theater impacted your perspective, professional or otherwise?

I wasn't sure I wanted to do theater when I got to º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, but then I got cast in one show in my fall term freshman year, and the rest was history after that. Theater embodies every academic field I love. It is so much more rewarding to live history and experience humanity in a visceral way as opposed to reading it or talking about it in a traditional classroom. As an actor, my job is to show you what is in the most truthful and authentic way that I can. It is for the audience to take that information and do with it what they feel is right. It is a great and thrilling responsibility to be an actor, and I love the challenge of finding humanity in everyone I play.

What are one or two events, courses, or people that stand out in your mind from your time at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Davis Robinson was my primary acting teacher at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ and had a huge influence on me. He motivated me to be better than I thought I could be and opened my mind up to what the possibilities of theater could be. My favorite course I took at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ was his Theater Styles class, which challenged all of us and paved the way for the kind of work I would do in grad school, professionally, and as a teacher myself.

Do you have any advice for current students at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

Whatever artistic endeavor you want to pursue, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ can help you achieve it, but you have to ask! Take advantage of the resources that the school has to offer you, and make the most of your time there. Don't be passive in your artistic pursuits! Once you leave º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, that work ethic will help sustain you in this business. It certainly helped me.

What is your occupation? What is your current job (roles and responsibilities)?

Director of Dance and Middle School Drama Teacher at the Noble and Greenough School.

I teach modern, jazz, and choreography classes to middle and high school students. I produce the annual Fall Dance Concert and choreograph the winter musical. In the spring season, I teach students how to teach dance by working with elementary aged kids at local schools.

Has studying Theater and Dance impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

I am still dancing with professional peers in the Boston dance scene. I don’t think that I’ll ever stop dancing, even if that means just taking class and not performing. I very much value keeping my physical body and mind connected. I certainly feel more open minded about the world after studying in this field, and I also feel so grateful to know how the soul benefits from the power of movement. Studying dance and trying to be successful in a field that is always in a fight for existence has made me resourceful and has forced me to think outside of the box in all aspects of my life.