I learned so much about art, creativity, writing, communication, and tolerance through participation in all sorts of theatre experiences growing up. In fact, some of my most positive formative years occurred while engaging with my high school’s theatre program, which was never only about acting. As a teen, I learned to collaborate with others in creating authentic theatrical experiences through creative storytelling, the freedom of self-expression, and the power of collective voice. I learned how to feel confident in expressing myself, while also understanding and appreciating my peers, no matter our differences. These early experiences, particularly while in high school, and later when studying musical theatre in college, inspired me to want to share the joy, self-expression, and creativity of theatre with others as both educator and facilitator. Nothing, not even performing, fulfills me more than creating and exploring theatre with youth. It is the ultimate privilege to help shape the future generation. As a student and teacher, I have witnessed first-hand how the theatre arts provide a place where children and teenagers can be their most vulnerable selves and use their imagination to collaborate and create, which is needed now more than ever.

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As a teacher, I aspire to create a space for students to gather, share their stories, feel comfortable expressing themselves, and learn open-mindedness. By sharing personal experiences through ensemble-building activities, I hope to encourage my students to authentically engage in a theatrical process through which they will learn about themselves, their peers, and their community.

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Before diving into the magic of theatre, however, I believe it is essential to foster a welcoming and safe environment where students’ needs are at the heart of the classroom. As a teacher and facilitator of this experience, my goal is to set an optimistic and accepting classroom atmosphere that will foster collaborative work with peers and friendships that extend beyond academics. Through my own educational experiences, I’ve learned to value individual expression and the importance of encouraging authenticity in developing one’s own voice, acknowledging that different perspectives and life experiences can enrich educational diversity in the classroom. 

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For theatre students to benefit from authentic expression in the classroom, it is essential to also build trust and empathy, which is a core part of my educational philosophy.  By developing a classroom built on trust, empathy, and tolerance, each student’s storytelling ability and theatre skills – whether as a writer, producer, actor, or production assistant – will be free to develop based on individual talents and life experiences/perspectives.  I strive to create a space where all learners can utilize theatre as an empowering tool to cultivate, nurture, and develop their authentic voices.

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I’ve learned that theatre education can be a tool for encouraging students, at a critical point in social and cognitive development, to open the door to self-discovery while fostering acceptance of differences or diversity among peers. My teaching philosophy includes employing ensemble-based theatre strategies that will inspire students to share their authentic voices and opinions while also developing the ability to be open to hearing and engaging with those of their peers. Through inclusive group dialogue, my goal is to encourage students to learn about new and different points of view within the classroom and the broader community. In this way, I hope to give students the creative freedom to drive the learning process in a safe and supportive environment.

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It is not only aspiring actors or performers that will benefit from theater education; I believe that every student can benefit from the academic and social experiences of theatre class.  For example, in the theatre classroom, students can explore how performing scenes and monologues contribute to building strong public speaking skills, develop their writing and communication skills, and discover how active and creative learning strategies can be integrated into successful performance in other academic areas. Theatre curriculum can be designed to support life skills, and I hope to provide my students with valuable tools to help them in all their future endeavors.

 

Finally, I believe theatre education provides teachers with a unique opportunity to help students understand and learn about the ever-changing world around them through an artistic lens. By providing students with contemporary and diverse theatre practices, playwrights, and artists, I hope to open students’ eyes to the power of voices and experiences that differ from theirs. Further, I hope to inspire the future adults of this world to empathize with people of different ethnic and social backgrounds to foster a welcoming and mutually supportive environment -- both in the classroom and in the broader community.