What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
This ongoing class will provide the opportunity for learners to discuss and learn about musicals that have played or are currently playing on Broadway. (Although off-Broadway counts if you must know.) Each week will focus on one or two shows: the composer and writers, the plot and songs, the actors, the scenery and costumes, and any other areas of interest to the students. We can discuss what makes a strong musical theater song through examples. Maybe we want to learn the path shows take to arrive on Broadway? We can look at reviews of the shows and discuss how we agree or disagree with the critical response. I'll always provide the background and the "here's what you need to know" for each show. This is a club for students to both learn about shows they don't already have knowledge of and to share their love of the shows they're obsessed with. While I am happy to provide expertise based on my professional career and both ask and answer questions to keep the dialogue going, this is a student driven club. I'm eager to hear from the members and encourage discussions surrounding each new show. We will vote each class for next week's show so we all have time to listen to the soundtrack and get excited for our meeting. We are a fun, supportive and inclusive group. We always have a good chat, and we laugh a lot. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. We can't wait to meet you!
Learning Goals
We learn and share as much as we can about Broadway shows, composers, actors, and history.
We listen and watch great performances, have great discussions, occasionally play trivia, and always have a great time.
Other Details
Learning Needs
All of my classes are 100 percent inclusive.
Parental Guidance
Discussions will always be kept school appropriate. I always tell students not to say anything in class that they wouldn't be willing to say in front of their siblings or parents. However, please be aware that some of the shows being discussed include themes that you might not be comfortable with your child discussing. I'm unable to know what the standards are for each individual family. I encourage you to reach out to me if you have any specific concerns and feel free to have your student skip any weeks where you feel the musical being discussed might not be appropriate for your learner.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from UC San Diego
I'm a professional theater director and educator. I love working with young people and seeing the creativity and energy they bring to their work with me. I always say that I teach people--not content--and I love seeing how classes in the arts can help students grow as people as they lean empathy, collaboration, and share laughter with the new friends we make in every class. My classes are challenging but more importantly--fun.
I have an MFA in Directing from U.C. San Diego, and I've been lucky to direct a lot of shows over my career. My favorite experiences have been assistant directing the national tours of RENT and working on WAITING FOR GODOT with some amazing actors at Portland Stage Company in Maine. I've directed around fifty plays and musicals with professional actors around around the same number with students in educational settings ranging from universities to Montessori elementary schools.
As an educator, I've worked with little kids, big kids, and all sizes of adults. I traveled around the world teaching ensemble theatre with the International Schools Theatre Association. We've worked with students in Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Spain most recently. I've also been fortunate to teach for many years at the oldest continuously running youth theatre in America, San Diego's Junior Theatre. (I also directed a musical version of MATILDA and an adaptation of THE BORROWERS there!)
I've taught improvisation and acting as a private coach, high school teacher, and college professor. I worked with students to write and perform an original children's play at Colgate University that then toured around New York state. I've worked as a teaching artist with regional theaters like La Jolla Playhouse and the Old Globe Theatre going into public schools and teaching standards based drama classes and helping teachers teach their own drama classes.
I ran a Young Performers' Workshop summer drama camp in San Diego for many years, and I also taught improvisation and acting at La Jolla Playhouse's conservatory program for serious high school actors. I've coached monologues for high school seniors to apply for competitive BFA programs and for working actors to audition for productions.
I've worked on puppetry with elementary school kids. I've taught playwriting to students in the foster care system. I've directed radio plays with families at the Museum of TV and Radio in Beverly Hills. I've even taught English classes! When I reflect back on all the teaching I've been able to do, I'm so grateful....and so excited to now move into the online realm!
I love musical theater, clowning, and classic comedies....anything that breaks the fourth wall and invites the audience into the madness! I look forward to joining with students around the world and building a learning ensemble together via our screens. The best way to learn theater skills is by doing it, not just talking about it. I create a safe space to take risks, explore creativity, respect others and develop empathy, and to have a great time. Audiences know if the creators had a positive experience. I promise we always will!
Feel free to send me a message if you would like to browse my complete CV or the list of shows I've directed!
I have a 17 year old son who loves video games and playing D and D on Outschool and an 11 year old non-binary kid who loves drawing and designing makeup and singing along to Disney movies with me. We are not very good at it, but we have a lot of passion. We live by a lake in Seattle, Washington.
**Please don't hesitate to message me with any ideas for classes that you want to see offered on this platform!**
Reviews
Live Group Class
$16
weekly1x per week
45 min
Completed by 97 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-16
4-8 learners per class