For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by learning how things work and how to better myself. As an instructor of theatre, I also find joy in delivering this curiosity, drive, and inspiration to other learners. Learning is often measured by the amount of information a student can recall. This narrow approach implies a straightforward but sadly limited view of learning. Learning has occurred at its fullest when a student’s factual knowledge is accompanied by the ability to organize, explain, apply, and continually seek out information. My objective is not to transfer information, but to create true understanding and therefore retention, interest, and passion.

As a young learner, I struggled to retain information when I could not see its relevance to other concepts or its practical impact on today’s theatre. I believe it is incredibly important to tie together information by creating a cohesive conceptual structure—a hierarchy of facts—that illustrates the significance of the information. Learning is like putting together a puzzle. It is not only my job to give students the puzzle pieces, but also to help put them in place in order to create a complete picture. I accomplish this by guiding discussion, presenting appealing visuals, facilitating active inquiry, and emulating professional circumstances.

With a dual career in graphic design and theatre, I am well positioned to serve the visual needs of learners in the age of rampant media, personal devices, and instant gratification. The visual transfer of information is known to improve comprehension and retention. I excel at making engaging, appealing presentations designed to grab the attention of learners—meeting them on their cultural level. For example, presenting a clean, visual timeline of theatrical movements and styles helps my students in Theatre History, Acting, or Directing to understand how our art form has evolved and what caused contemporary styles and trends to exist. The visualization of “why” and “how” leads to more comprehensive understanding and lasting impact.

Dialogue is crucial to theatre, and invaluable in the theatre classroom. Theatre cannot exist on the page or in a vacuum—life must be physically breathed into it. Dialogue in the classroom, whether from the page or in guided discussion, opens students to different points of view and potentially even conflict. Oskar Eustis says “the thesis [of theatre] is that truth can only emerge from the conflict of two points of view”. The sooner and more thoroughly students can understand how to mine truth from conflict, resolve disputes, and empathize with other points of view, the better. The theatre classroom, like the theatre art form, expands our capacity for empathy. This makes my theatre classroom an inclusive space where all types, uncertainties, failures, life experiences, and creeds are welcome to engage. Because dialogue is necessary to create the learning environment, students are assessed on their engagement in written/oral discussion, in addition to projects, presentations, exercises, and exams.

Students learn best when they see how classroom material can be applied in the professional world, and I bring to my students the benefit of my experience as co-founder and executive artistic director of a theatre company. My professional experience uniquely qualifies me to teach theatre management, marketing, self-promotion, directing, analysis, and production courses through a real-world lens. I am no stranger to working with theatre artists of all experience levels, and I use the same approach with my students as I do with artistic collaborators. Like apprentices, I hope to provide them with direction, mentorship, discussion, and the opportunity to learn by practice.

As an arts administrator, my expertise expands with each year that my organization grows. In my day to day professional life, I must solve creative and administrative problems through innovation, experimentation, and self-education. The educational setting allows me to continue to grow, personally and intellectually, as I am challenged by colleagues, students, and other members of the community who present and defend their ideas. Finally, I plan to continue growing professionally through evaluations (by students and colleagues), reading the work of industry leaders and artistic innovators, and continued involvement with professional associations and conventions.