Acting: Scene Study and Improv for Theatrical Preteens (All Levels)

Hello there and welcome! I am thrilled to be on Outschool where I am able to combine my two deepest passions: acting and teaching. I hold my Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Auburn University and I have been a professional actress for the past 7 years in Chicago. Please feel free to message me if you have inquires about my previous professional work as an actor.

My classes will be based off of many different acting techniques and the curriculum will be structured like a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Program. However, I want to highlight that I teach and adapt all curriculum to each age group. Some classes that I am interested in teaching are: Truthful Acting, Building a Character, Voice and Movement, Shakespeare Bootcamp for Actors, Clown, Improvised Movement and Mask, Contemporary Monologue and Scene Study, Classical Monologue and Scene Study, Exploration of Acting Techniques, and College and Audition Prep Classes.

Acting has been the biggest gift to me in my life. It has helped me find my way in the world and it is my joy to help acting students find theirs! By telling other people's stories and giving others our deepest parts of ourselves through these stories, we are able to cultivate incredible empathy and understanding in ourselves and in our audience. It also helps kids to be present and self-aware because acting demands presence, spontaneity and excellent listening skills.

Philosophy: I'm very processed based and I encourage the kids not to be focused on the outcome. The more an actor is focused on the outcome, the less risks they take and the less risks they take, the more one dimensional their character becomes, and we want alive and BELIEVABLE characters. I use of variety of different techniques that I've learned throughout the years because I don't believe that one technique or one way is the only way for students. I tell kids that each technique I teach them is a color and the character is the canvas, so it is up to them to paint the character with the color that the character needs. Even the artist does not know what the painting will be, so I encourage kids to be experimental and have fun! My classroom is a safe place to make mistakes, as too often actors stay inside their comfort zones because of the fear of making a mistake. Some of my worst "mistakes" onstage have turned into glorious moments of humanity for my character. 

Fun Facts: One of my most rewarding and enriching experiences was working on a bilingual version of Romeo and Juliet for a Latinx theatre company in Chicago. We performed for middle schoolers and high schoolers and for many of them it was the first time hearing Romeo and Juliet in Spanish and seeing a predominantly Latinx cast in the main roles (I played a servant/clown). I spoke my lines almost entirely in Spanish and it was amazing how the emotion of the language opened up so many creative opportunities for the character. I look forward to acting in Spanish again soon!

I am excited to see you in the classroom!