TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Arts education, regardless of modality, is both a practice of liberation and a discipline of craft. I believe meaningful learning occurs in environments grounded in trust, curiosity, collaboration, and genuine human connection. Across my work as an artist, educator, and leader, I approach the classroom and rehearsal hall as spaces where technical skill, emotional safety, critical thinking, and personal agency are developed together.
Drawing on Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I view teaching as a collaborative and dialogic process rather than one in which students passively receive information. I intentionally design classrooms that value student voice, lived experience, reflection, experimentation, and practice. Students learn best when the material is understandable, meaningful, and connected to their own lives.
My actor-training pedagogy integrates the foundational practices of Konstantin Stanislavski, Sanford Meisner, and Stella Adler through a contemporary trauma-aware and consent-forward lens. I incorporate movement, text analysis, dramaturgical inquiry, reflective practice, and consent-based rehearsal methods into classroom and production environments while emphasizing communication, empathy, accountability, and sustainable artistic practice.
Courses are intentionally structured using Understanding by Design and backward design methodologies, aligning creative experiences and assessments with clear learning outcomes. Reflection is central to my pedagogy, encouraging students to understand not only what they are doing artistically, but why the work matters and how it contributes to their growth as artists, collaborators, and socially conscious individuals.
Ultimately, my role is not to shape students into replicas of a singular artistic ideal, but to support them in discovering their own capacities with confidence, integrity, curiosity, and purpose.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Arts Administration & Executive Leadership | Orchestra & Performing Arts Operations | Board Governance & Committee Support
Collective Bargaining / CBA Exposure | Budget Development & Financial Reporting | Fundraising & Donor Stewardship
Grant Writing & Institutional Funding | Concert & Theatre Production Management | Musician & Ensemble Coordination
Rehearsal & Performance Systems Design | Marketing Strategy & Audience Development | Ticket Sales Strategy
Audition Scheduling & Personnel Management | Ensemble Rehearsal Systems | Concert Programming & Production
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
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Aug 2022 – May 2025
Developed and taught curriculum in acting, directing, technical theatre, stagecraft, theatre management, and ensemble-based performance
Directed and produced 20+ theatrical productions, including musicals, Shakespeare, devised festivals, and contemporary drama
Designed coursework aligned with Colorado State Standards, AVID frameworks, International Baccalaureate (IB/MYP), and interdisciplinary instructional practices
Applied trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and consent-forward pedagogical methodologies within classroom and rehearsal environments
Facilitated student-led production systems emphasizing collaboration, leadership development, dramaturgical inquiry, and applied performance learning
Mentored performers, stage managers, technicians, designers, and student directors through rehearsal-based instruction and production leadership
Oversaw theatre operations, including production scheduling, budgeting, technical coordination, marketing, ticketing systems, and audience engagement
Expanded theatre program enrollment from 12 students to more than 435 students through sustainable arts programming and inclusive rehearsal systems
Founded and advised the Visual & Performing Arts Council (VPAC), securing and managing more than $12,000 in grants and community partnerships
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Jan 2022 – May 2022; Aug 2024 – May 2025
(Arts-Integrated Instructional Designer)
Delivered standards-aligned instruction in literacy, writing, composition, and college readiness using interdisciplinary and arts-integrated teaching methodologies
Implemented AVID, IB/MYP, and culturally responsive instructional practices supporting critical thinking, analytical writing, and collaborative learning
Integrated drama-based learning, embodied instruction, reflective practice, and experiential learning into English and leadership curriculum
Utilized assessment systems including NWEA MAP Growth, DIBELS, and MAZE to guide instruction and intervention
Managed instructional systems through Canvas and Infinite Campus
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Apr 2014 – Nov 2022
(Digital Education & Creative Programming)
Designed and facilitated 25+ online educational programs integrating creative leadership, applied storytelling, symbolic analysis, reflective inquiry, and interdisciplinary learning practices
Developed asynchronous and live online instructional systems serving approximately 50,000 participants internationally
Created curriculum, instructional media, workshop materials, and learning experiences using adult-learning andragogy and experiential learning methodologies
Produced large-scale virtual learning events featuring interdisciplinary presenters, reflective practice frameworks, and community-based discussion models
Managed educational media platforms, digital learning systems, audience engagement, and online curriculum delivery infrastructure.
COURSES PREPARED TO TEACH:
Introduction to Theatre
Theatre Appreciation
Acting I–III
Voice and Movement
Directing Fundamentals
Stage Management
Theatre Production and Leadership
Costume Fundamentals
Scenic Design Fundamentals
Introduction to Design for Theatre
Rehearsal Methodologies
Devised and Collaborative Performance
Theatre for Social Change
Shakespeare in Performance
Technical Theatre
Performance Studies
Arts Leadership and Production Management
Ensemble-Based Performance Training
Intimacy-Informed Performance Practices
Stagecraft
ARTS ADMINISTRATION EXPERIENCE
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Sep 2025 – Present
Participate in organizational governance, strategic planning, and operational oversight for a professional opera company. Support board documentation, digital infrastructure systems (Wix, Mailchimp, Flipcause), season planning, and organizational communications.
Supported donor stewardship, fundraising campaigns, and grant-funded programming initiatives, including community giving campaigns and board-supported development strategies.
Contribute to fundraising strategy, donor engagement planning, and audience development initiatives including Colorado Gives campaigns and community partnerships.
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Dec 2025 – Present
(Arts-Integrated Instructional Designer)
Co-founded nonprofit theatre organization focused on producing socially engaged and historically challenged works.
Oversee organizational operations, governance structures, production planning systems, and digital infrastructure (Squarespace, YouTube).
Work as the organization’s Dramaturgical Director and Operations Lead for virtual and live performance spaces
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August 2022 – May 2025
Description: Panther Playhouse served as a primary theatre production program, producing full-length plays, one-act festivals, and student-devised works. The program emphasized student-led production models, in which students took active roles in directing, stage management, design, marketing, and technical execution
Facilitated student-led training in directing, stage management, lighting, costume design, and front-of-house operations
Created and maintained ticketing and web platforms (GoFan, OntheStage, Squarespace) to support sales, donations, and production archives
Built and improved performance, storage, and backstage spaces to increase safety, fire-code compliance, and multi-program functionality
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August 2022 – May 2025
Description: The Visual and Performing Arts Council (VPAC) was a student-led leadership body composed of representatives across performing and visual arts programs of Harrison High School
Application-based leadership roles with equity and experience benchmarks (including verified Thespian hour tracking)
Facilitated arts-centered equity dialogues, cross-department collaboration, and peer mentorship
Raised $12,000+ through DonorsChoose and community partnerships to support productions, travel, and Thespian events
Administration & Operations Skills
Fundraising • Grant Writing • Audience Engagement • Ticketing Systems • Production Management • Event Coordination • Community Partnerships
Select Directed Productions
MUSIC DIRECTION, CHORAL LEADERSHIP & ENSEMBLE CONDUCTING
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2012
Conducted and prepared Chamber Choir, Women’s Choir, and Jazz Choir in public performances and adjudicated settings. Led rehearsal pacing, musical interpretation, ensemble coordination, and ensemble cohesion across multiple vocal ensembles
Directed repertoire spanning musical theatre, jazz, and classical choral literature including Brotherhood of Man, Walking on Sunshine / Halo, and Embraceable You. Utilized score literacy and conducting techniques in cohesion with the concert repertoire.
Coordinated cross-institutional collaboration between Harrison Honors Choir and Colorado State University Pueblo Chamber Choir and Chamber Symphony, aligning rehearsal schedules and performance execution for integrated choral-orchestral works including Stroope’s Winter and Mozart’s Dies Irae.
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2010 – 2012
Supported music direction for Solo & Ensemble participants through vocal coaching, score preparation, rehearsal coordination, and adjudication readiness.
Assisted in ensemble organization, sectional rehearsal planning, and individualized performance development for competitive festival preparation.
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2004 – 2005
Assisted in foundational conducting and ensemble instruction for elementary music programs, supporting rehearsal structure, student engagement, and early performance development
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You Can't Take It With You (2017)
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Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays (2015)
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The Outsiders (2014)
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Ha! (2014)
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Getting Out (2013)
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Logged In (2013)
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Robin Hood (2012)
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The Santaland Diaries (2012)
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As The Southern Belle Tolls (2012)
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Nickel and Dimed (2012)
DESIGN & TECHNICAL THEATRE LEADERSHIP
Designed costumes and scenic environments for 20+ productions across educational and community theatre settings. Experience includes visual storytelling, production aesthetics, and technical theatre systems coordination.
TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES & SKILLS
Instruction & Curriculum
Curriculum Development • Lesson Design • Higher Education Instruction • Assessment Design • Lecture Facilitation
Studio Instruction • Rehearsal Facilitation • Performance Assessment • Production Pedagogy • Applied Theatre Instruction
Collaborative Performance Systems • Student Leadership Development
Performance & Directing
Acting Pedagogy • Rehearsal Systems • Ensemble Building • Devised Theatre
Psychophysical Performance • Intimacy-Informed Practice
Technical Theatre Systems
ETC Element • Vista 3 • QLab • Behringer X32 • Scenic Construction • Costume Construction • Cue Programming
Educational & Digital Systems
Canvas • Infinite Campus • Google Workspace • Squarespace • Mailchimp • OntheStage • GoFan
Flipcause • Canva • Adobe Photoshop
VOCAL PERFORMANCE & MUSICAL TRAINING
Additional Training
Harrison High School - 2008-2012
Classical, jazz, operatic, and ensemble/chorus training | Jolyne Antista
Participation in the Main Choir, Women’s Ensemble, and Jazz Choir
Musical Theatre | Starz Theatre Company - 2010
Academy of Children’s Theatre - 2009
Hand-to-hand combat with swords, shields, and bowstaffs
Character work, vocal and movement, using fantasy costumes, body suits, and prosthetics/mask work (i.e., Spider Queen, Goblin, Troll)
MODELING EXPERIENCE
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1999 – 2003
Participate in city-organized runway shows for bridal expos, show casing a number of gowns and accessories in quick succession
Experienced and knowledgeable in the basics of runway modeling and commercial fashion photoshoots
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2014 – 2016
Provided professional figure modeling services for university-level drawing, painting, and charcoal courses and private studio instruction. Supported observational drawing pedagogy and visual composition studies through sustained pose work in academic and studio environments.