Teaching Resume

EDUCATION:

UK Fulbright- Lusk Memorial Fellowship, Scotland & England
Devising Theatre with National Theatre of Scotland, Fuel, LIFT Festival, punchdrunk, Requardt & Rosenberg 2013-2014
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
BS in Theatre, Thesis in Performance Studies on Theatre for Social Change, June 2005
Circumnavigator Scholar, England, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina
Research on “Theatre for Social Change Around the World” 2004
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England
Acting Certificate, 2003
Basic Spanish Speaking Skills

 

EMPLOYMENT:

Scottish Youth Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland 6/15-Present
Director/Tutor
– Leading classes for ages 5-7, 8-11, 12-15, 16-25 in theatre and performance
– Devising productions (Bit by Bit, Creative Space, Stealing Stars, Humans, The Magic Shoe Shop)
– Facilitating workshops for Toolbox Sessions and SYT Road Show

 

Private Coaching, Glasgow, Scotland and Chicago, IL  ‘10-Present
Teaching Artist/Acting Coach
– Preparing students for art school auditions
– Text work and physical character development
– Working one on one with special needs actors (ie: Down syndrome, Autism, wheelchairs)
– Collecting monologues and getting them audition ready
– Assisting on set for film projects
– Improving diction and projection

 

Adventure Stage Chicago, Chicago, IL    3/07-Present
Actress/Teaching Artist/Ensemble Member
– Runs the Trailblazers Mentor Program which pairs low income at risk youth with Chicago artists to make socially conscious devised works of theatre.
– Teaching artist for Neighborhood Bridges Residencies
– Teaching literacy exercises in the Chicago Public School system through creative drama, storytelling, and performance.
– Team teaching with a classroom teacher
– Assembling and directing a final performance
– Lead teacher for Summer Adventure Camp (’09, ’10, ’11, ’12)
– Storyteller for events in the Chicago Community and Schools
– Leading workshops and Professional Development at the Illinois Holocaust Museum
– Directed an adaptation of “Holes” at House in the Wood, Delavan, Wisconsin
– Actress in Ashgirl, The Blue House, The Giver, and Six Stories Tall
– Led pre/post show workshops with students about the shows

 

Chicago Academy for the Arts, Chicago, IL  9/12-6/13
Theatre Movement Teacher
– Teaching 9th-12th grade students theatre movement skills
– Mime, Mask Work, Stage Combat, Viewpoints, Basic Tumbling, Poi, Weight Sharing, Dance
– Movement Direction for school productions
– Monologue coaching for auditions
– Evaluating in class performances and journal entries

 

American Art Studio Thinking Project, with Art Institute of Chicago, IL   9/09-6/12
– Using Theatre Arts to teach course curriculum in Chicago Public Schools
– Leading Theatre exercises and games in the subjects of science, english, social studies, spanish language, and math
– Providing support and skills for classroom teachers to integrate these learned techniques
– Storytelling

 

Metropolis Performing Arts Center, Arlington Heights, IL   8/09-6/12
Actress/Teaching Artist/Director
– Lead Teaching Artist and Director for Clearbrook on Cue for adults with special needs
– Directing- “Petronella” and “The Three Little Pigs”
– Teaching artist for their School of Performing Arts
– Teaching musical theatre, acting, mime, and mask to k-2, 3-5, and high school students
– Director for their Spring Break Camp
– Director for Summer Camp- “Peter Pan” and “The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe”

 

Arlyn School Residency, Wilmette, IL    9/08-6/12
Teaching Artist
– Teaching drama, improv, mime, and storytelling to students with social and emotional disorders as well as cognitive disorders.
– Integrate social skills, eye contact, physical confidence, and team work into all learning.
– Developed their first theatre program for their summer school.

 

Northlight Theatre Camp, Skokie, IL  Summer ‘07
Drama Camp Director
– Directed a show for 60 students, 6th grade through 12th
– Selected songs and scenes for the final performance and taught 3 acting classes
– Ran pre-camp and post-camp meetings as needed
– Mentored interns and counselors and assisted in planning their classes

 

Northlight Theatre, Skokie, IL  12/06-11/12
Teaching Artist/Director
– Residencies at Kingsley School, Romona School, and De La Cruz
– Leading games, teaching improv, drama, voice work, storytelling and mime
– Facilitated Conflict Resolution and Diversity Workshops
– Teaching workshops that utilize techniques from Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, Forum Theatre, etc. to approach issues on diversity and conflict resolution
– Teaching artist for STAR/Season Access Workshops
– Driving to many different Chicago and Northshore schools preparing students for field trips to see Northlight productions
– Teaching Academy classes for Acting and Improv with exercises in character creation both physically and emotionally, vocal projection and support, teamwork, games, and building confidence.
– Director for the Fall (07) production of “Godspell Jr”
– Associate Director for the Winter (06) production of “Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr!”

 

Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago, IL    9/06 – 5/10
Teaching Artist
– Created several study guides for shows featured in the festival to be used by classroom teachers
– Taught a creative drama unit on the Civil Rights Movement to 6th graders
– Used many exercises from “teaching in role” to “story dramas”
– Led discussions and facilitated Q&A sessions
– Created the Lesson Plan for Tanya Saracho’s world premiere play “Surface Day”
– Led theatre games at the “Fiesta” event in conjunction with “The Blue House”
– Developed and taught workshops based on the topic of “Storytelling Through Creative Movement” with the Italian troupe Teatro di Piazza D’Occasione

 

Cherubs: National High School Institute, Evanston, IL  Summer ‘05-‘09
Faculty Associate (‘05), Faculty (‘06 and ‘07), Master Class Instructor (’08 and ‘09)
– Taught classes on “Theatre for Social Change Around the World,” “Performing in Masks,” “Mime,” “Storytelling,” and “Text Analysis” to high school students
– Assistant-directed the final production of Madwomen
– Organized field trips and events (transportation, dances, etc.)
– Master classes in Mask Work and Mime Technique

 

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 9/02-6/05
Assistant to Professor Rives Collins, Chair of the Theatre Department
– Did background research for different symposiums, articles, and classes
– Scheduled performances
– Read and wrote reviews on new plays
– Maintained organization in the office
– Assisted with shows that Professor Collins directed
– Prepared all class materials for Children’s Theatre, Storytelling, and Creative Drama in the Northwestern University Theatre Department

 

WORKSHOPS AND MASTER CLASSES TAUGHT:

– Connect Institute/US Embassy- Agadir, Morocco: “Theatre for Social Change”
– National Theatre of Scotland’s Home Away Festival for Participatory Arts: “Using Images and Objects to Create New Work”
– Scottish Youth Theatre- Numerous Workshops: Mystery Monologues, Comedy Acting, Devising, Character Creation
– NADS (National Association for Down syndrome) Conference: “Theatre Games in Special Needs Communities”
– CAEF (Chicago Arts Educator Forum): “Finding solutions between Arts Partnerships and Arts Specialists” and “Asking Questions that Deepen Practice”
– Victory Gardens: “Learning to Tell Your Story”
– Metropolis: Professional Development on Theatre for Social Change- “Changing the World from the Classroom”
– Adventure Stage Professional Development “Finding Your Stories”
– YAP- Young Artists Program at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center: “Creating a Character Inspired by Food”
– iO- “Tools for Improvised Storytelling”

 

ACADEMIC HONORS, AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS:

– Creative Scotland Grant and Surge Street Theatre Award for The Dirty Laundry Campaign, 2017
– MacArthur International Connections Fund- Grant for directing Reprise with NTS, 2017
– National Endowment for the Arts- Grant for Pullman Project 2017
– 15 Women to Watch in 2015- Today’s Chicago Woman (TCW) Magazine, 2015
– DCASE- Individual Artists Program Grant, 2015
– Fulbright- Lusk Memorial Fellowship, Grant Recipient, Scotland/England 2013-14
– CAAP (Chicago Artists Assistance Program), Grant Recipient 2010
– Outstanding Theatre Senior Award Recipient, Northwestern Theatre Department, 2005
– Circumnavigator Travel Around the World Grant Scholar, 2004
(Circumnavigated the globe on a solo trip to the UK, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Western Australia, New South Wales, New Zealand, and Argentina to study theatre for Social Change)
– Undergraduate Research Grant, Northwestern University, 2004
– Center for Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts Grant, 2003
– Program in the Study of the Imagination Grant, 2003
– Silver Knight Award Winner, Theatre Arts, Miami Herald, 2001