Mentorship and education are always prioritized for me, even in the professional realm. As eclectic as my professional theatre career, my academic journey has taken me from full time professor to adjunct at multiple universities, and most recently coordinator for USITT’s Stage Management Mentor Project.

Mentor

Long before my journey as an academic began, I had been a mentor. Creating a ‘teaching environment’ for young folks, whether they be on my team or a guest in the booth, has been something I’ve placed high value on and worked to create.

Educator

The privilege of having a full time professor post at Columbia College for four years afforded me the gift of nurturing one full class from beginning to end, developing life-long bonds of mentorship and sharing the joy of those students’ successes as they begin their careers. This blog post by Albert Williams highlights the achievements of the powerhouse class of 2019.

Currently an adjunct professor at DePaul and Columbia, my class time with students is some of my favorite time throughout the year.

Style

I bring a great deal of humor to my work, and find it especially helpful as an educator. “Its called A PLAY, not A WORK,” I would often say to my students. It’s easy to take ourselves too seriously in the arts, and to lose the ability to have a broad perspective when you deeply invest in your show and team. Levity not only can help diffuse tension and remind us of our humanity, science tells us those who laugh often, live longer.

Whether in the classroom or in tech, the number one skill I strive to develop in young people is critical thinking. My upper-level students have come to expect me to answer their question with the question: “What do you think you should do?”