As a teaching artist with eight years of experience at the university and secondary levels, I’m passionate about cultivating the next generation of leaders in American performing arts. My work as an educator is rooted in my two decades of experience as a professional theater and film director. I have deep engagement with canonical work, new play development, and new ways of making, and my courses invite students to engage their whole selves as artists. I build on traditions that encourage a humanitarian and civic sensibility, while encouraging students to find their own inimitable voices. 

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My work as a theater director substantially enhances my skill as an educator. Directors have expertise in a range of disciplines--design, acting, choreography, music, playwriting, dramaturgy, operations of large- and small-scale companies, to name a few. I am passionately curious about these subjects and know enough to teach them, and to collaborate effectively with professionals.

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But my skill as a facilitator provides the most overlap. I create learning journeys for diverse artists that culminate in revelatory events. When directing, it's opening night. When teaching, it's often a final exam or end-of semester performance. Whether I am designing a rehearsal process or creating a curriculum, my work invites artists on adventures of discovery, with the goal of promoting personal growth and shared revelation.

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Above all, as a Citizen Artist, my work empowers students to think of their place in a broader beloved community. I help them observe, describe, and express from their own lives, because I believe storytelling helps us understand ourselves better and, by making us better listeners, ignites curiosity about unfamiliar perspectives. The future vitality of American performing arts and society depends on this work, and I eagerly embrace it.