MA in Theatre Education/Applied Theatre
I am so excited to continue my educational journey at Emerson College, pursuing an MA in Theatre Education with an emphasis on Theatre and Community and MA initial k-12 licensure. My current coursework focuses on community building and ensemble-based theatre practices with middle and school students in school and after-school settings. Having completed my student teaching practicum completely on Zoom, I am excited to use this experience to create equitable and accessible theatre practices, bringing universal basic design, tiered instruction, and multiple ways of show-what-you-know to my classrooms.
Bay School of San Francisco
This spring, I will be working at my alma mater, Bay as a Shakespeare teacher. I began in early February as a co-director for the after-school drama production, working on A Midsummer Night’s Dream with an enthusiastic group of student actors. We focused on text analysis, scansion, physicalizing characters, and in-depth scene work to build a foundation in acting Shakespeare before focusing in on acting for the camera, blocking/stage combat over zoom, and using technology to enhance the performance.
I am working with a dedicated group of faculty to develop and implement a three week immersive Shakespeare course for the 10th grade class, guided by the essential question: why do we still read Shakespeare? We will be exploring Othello and the Tempest with an emphasis on decolonizing the text and analyzing injustices that are still prevalent in our world today. My personal goal with this work is to encourage collaboration and community building amongst a group of adolescents who will be in person for the first time in over a year, and to prioritize fun after a year of challenging virtual academics.
In September 2019, I began my work with Boston Theater Company as a teaching artist. My work with them has taken me across Massachusetts to lead workshops on Shakespeare in middle and high schools. In line with BTC’s mission, I adapted curriculum for making Shakespeare contemporary and collaborative to inspire students to make bold choices and unlock self-confidence and creativity.
In early 2020, I began directing Teen Touring Troupe, which is an “exciting opportunity for young, committed actors in grades 7-12 to sharpen their performance skills, gain professional touring experience, and grow in a supportive ensemble.” Each week, I would create a curriculum that incorporated vocal and physical warmups, acting exercises to explore character, Shakespeare’s text, and ensemble building, along with explorations of the play. As we moved to online learning as COVID-19 hit, I began learning how to teach and direct through Zoom. The curriculum was updated to prioritize peer-learning. We had fun collaborating to create a virtual world of the play, and our final production was streamed live.
In addition to my work as a teaching artist, I was an actor for Boston Theater Company’s school tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2020 (before COVID-19 cut us short). As part of a six person ensemble, I played Lysander and Quince. My role as Lysander was personally important to me, as a queer woman, to normalize LGBTQ+ relationships and queer visibility onstage.
13 Pratt Theatre Company
In quarantine, my roommates Nick Chieffo and Riley Fox Hillyer and I have been busy making puppets and performing shows. You can watch our shows here!