I believe drama education can and should be an integral part of every individual’s learning experience. Theatre is not just for those pursuing professional arts careers – it provides everyone with community-building tools and a deeper appreciation of the human experience through storytelling. In my classes, theatre becomes a microcosm of life: students form a community, battle it out creatively with each other, get stuck and have breakthroughs, overcome fear and self-doubt, engage with complex ideas and great writing, and ultimately build empathy and understanding across differences. No matter what life experiences students bring, or background they come from, the collaborative act of making theatre teaches them to appreciate both the similarities and the rich variety in human experience. In a practical sense, drama training also instills invaluable life skills – collaboration, communication, creative thinking, and personal accountability – all in a playful, imaginative environment.

My overall approach in the classroom balances structure and flexibility. Without structure nothing can be built – limitation is the fountain of creativity, and rules create the playground – yet I remain flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of my students. Every class has a clear framework and high expectations, but I also meet each student where they are, adjusting to individual strengths and weaknesses. I foster a supportive environment of mutual trust and respect, where students feel safe to take risks and fail forward. I relate to my students with direct, honest communication tempered by humor, understanding, and positive reinforcement. As an educator, I see my role as providing the right mix of guidance, challenge, wisdom, empathy, and clear communication so that each student feels empowered to do their best work. I encourage collaboration in the room – students learn to give each other feedback and work as an ensemble – because I believe a student-centered, collaborative learning environment enables everyone to reach their full potential.

I strongly believe in a holistic approach to actor training: an actor’s body, voice, intellect, imagination, and emotional life should all be engaged and in sync. My goal is to empower actors with tools to create richly nuanced characters rooted in their own essential humanity. I emphasize physical and vocal training alongside mental and emotional work. In practice, I fuse classical, Stanislavski-based acting techniques (objectives, actions, obstacles, tactics) with physical performance practices like Suzuki and Viewpoints. This means students learn to pursue truthful objectives and actions in each scene while also activating their full physical instrument – finding grounding, freedom, and expressiveness in their bodies and voices. At the heart of my teaching philosophy is the reminder that “you are enough.” I encourage actors to trust that their authentic self and impulses are more than sufficient – that truthful doing in the face of challenges is far more compelling than superficial “showing.” By knowing themselves more deeply and trusting their own experiences, students can bring vulnerability and truth to their work. I also integrate solid text analysis skills (exploring given circumstances, scene beats, dramatic structure, character arcs) so that actors have a strong foundation of craft to support their inspiration. Ultimately, I want my students to develop into well-rounded performers who can act in the moment with authenticity, make intelligent and imaginative choices in service of the story, and work confidently and collaboratively with directors, writers, and fellow actors.

I teach with the conviction that the best learning comes through doing. My mentor, Jon Jory, used to remind us that we each have 20,000 mistakes to make in a career – so we might as well get busy making them! I take that to heart. I encourage my students to be bold, experiment, and understand that making mistakes is not only okay but essential to growth. Every class is a laboratory where we actively practice the craft. I give students plentiful opportunities to apply their skills through exercises, scene work, and performances – from silent narrative improvisations and devised pieces to monologues, contemporary scenes, and classical text work. By grappling with material hands-on and reflecting on their experiences, students learn far more than by theory alone. I also ask students to engage in critical self-reflection and peer feedback, so they become aware of their own process and progress. My job is to provoke questions, offer alternate pathways, and then step back and let students wrestle with creative problems – guiding them to discover their own solutions and develop their own artistic voice.

In all, my teaching philosophy aligns with the best practices in today’s coaching and training landscape: it is student-centered, process-oriented, and holistic. I am committed to cultivating not just skilled actors, but well-rounded, empathetic artists and human beings. My students learn to trust themselves, support each other, and engage deeply with the world around them through art. As a teacher (and a lifelong learner myself), I’m continually inspired by the growth I witness in the studio. Theatre education, at its best, enlightens and transforms us – and it is my privilege to facilitate that transformative journey for each student I work with.