Educator
I've been honing my teaching skills since my junior year of college when I had the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for an undergraduate speech class. As a Communications major focusing in theatre, I didn't necessarily see myself in the classroom. However, in the final semester of my MA, I had the chance to teach a small workshop of playwriting students for the local library, which I just adored. I was able to adjunct the very next semester at Keystone College, where I then served as a full-time Assistant Professor for five years and the Director of Theatre for three years. Teaching is its own art form and a fantastic way to spread my love for writing, directing, performing, and play-making.
South Africa Study Abroad
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At the end of December 2017 and into January 2018, I had a wonderful opportunity to assist with the teaching of an Educational and Devised Theatre class for Clarks Summit University's Study Abroad program in Cape Town, South Africa. With my husband, Jonathan Strayer, I co-taught seven CSU students alongside our South African counterpart, Darryl Meekins, who taught a class on cultural awareness. Together, we took students to important landmarks like Robben Island, Bo-Kaap, the District 6 Museum, the Rhodes Monument, and the 18 Gangster Museum. We also took them to see two professional South African theatre productions - King Kong at the Fugard Theatre and Standing O's Immortal at the Castle of Good Hope - and experienced a children's theatre workshop under the direction of the Jungle Theatre Company. I led the students in several workshops and creative writing exercises to help them process their experience in a new culture and to increase their understanding and awareness of South African life post-apartheid. They worked together to create a devised theatre piece that summarized their South African experience and how it taught them to see the world differently.
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Director of Theatre
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As the Director of Theatre at Keystone College, I directed a mainstage show every semester, as well as teaching the classes for the Theatre Minor. These classes included Introduction to Theatre, Acting I, Acting II, Survey of Technical Theatre, Studies in Dramatic Literature, Directing for the Stage, and Playwriting. I believe in hands-on education. The students in my classes learned applicable skills and were evaluated not only on their understanding of the course material, but their ability to use these new skills in a practical setting. Students in my Tech Theatre class learned the basics of everything from set design, to lighting and sound, to stage management, and offered technical support to our Spring play production, as well as the Directing class final projects. The Acting students started with learning how to deliver an effective monologue and how to work with a scene partner. They experimented with a variety of acting exercises that asked them to consider body language and facial expression, but also internal motivation. At the higher level, we studied Stanislavski, Strasberg, Meisner, Adler, Spolin, and more, with the students weighing the pros and cons of each method. In Directing class my students were challenged to direct three short pieces over the course of the semester, holding auditions, scheduling rehearsals, and working with student actors - and non-actors - to make their productions a success. These are just a handful of examples that help to show my teaching goals: to help students better understand and appreciate the theatre world while finding their place in it. |
The Keystone Players' Production History:
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Assistant Professor of Communications |
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In addition to theatre classes, I also have experience teaching American Literature I & II, World Literature, Utopian/Dystopian Literature, English Composition & Rhetoric, Speech, Professional Speech, and Public Relations. For the 2018-2019 school year, I was privileged to advise Alpha Theta Phi, Keystone's inaugural chapter of the Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society.
I have always made it a priority to look for exciting opportunities for my students inside and outside of the classroom. in 2018, I had the opportunity to take students from my Utopian/Dystopian Literature class to hear Margaret Atwood speak on The Handmaid's Tale, as well as arranging for my Dramatic Literature class to see several play productions coinciding with or complementing the literature we discussed in class. Over the 2018-2019 school year I brought several events to the Keystone College campus, including The Voices Project, a theatrical presentation of real-life stories meant to destigmatize mental health, and a staged reading of an original screenplay, SOUTHBOUND, by Ralph Walker. I also arranged for a lecture and demonstration in European Swordsmanship, including three stage combat workshops with Fight Director Jared Kirby of NYC Combat for Stage and Screen. It has always been my goal to increase my students' knowledge and understanding through hands-on experiences.
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