PCPA : Mamma Mia, Sophie, Freaky Friday, Ellie, Sound of Music, Louisa, 36 Views, Ensemble, U/S Elizabeth Newman-Orr
US Regional: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Johanna, (Oregon Cabaret Theatre), Newsies, Katherine Plumber, West Side Story, Clarice, (Utah Festival Opera and Music Theatre), A Chorus Line, Val, (Sierra Repertory Theatre), Million Dollar Quartet, Dyanne, Beauty and the Beast, Babette, Mary Poppins, Ensemble, A Chorus Line, Val, Sister Act, Tina/Ensemble, Cumberland County Playhouse). UK Work: Woven, Edinburgh Fringe Premiere, Director, C.O.N.T.A.C.T., Sarah, US Premiere, Measure for Measure, Duke Vincentio, (Rebecca Frecknall), Duchess of Malfi, The Duchess, (Phil Edgerley), Three Queens: Shakespeare’s War of the Roses, (Rodney Cottier), Legally Blonde, Elle Woods, (Andrew Panton), Betty Blue Eyes, Mrs. Allerdyce, (Douglas Irvine), A Man of No Importance, Miss Crowe, (Johnny McKnight) Sleeping Beauty, Citizen’s Theatre Glasgow, A Doll’s House, Kristine, (Ali DeSouza) Scifiville: A Short Film (Michael Howell), Chronicles-Syndicate (Liszt Media Group).
Teaching: Head of Acting; Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre Arts, Lecturer; Royal Conservative of Scotland, MGA Academy
Teaches: Movement II
Training: MA Classical Acting, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, BA Musical Theatre, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Anti-Racism Training- Red Card UK Intimacy Coordination Level 1- Intimacy for Stage and Screen
Teaching Philosophy: Each human being is akin to an oil painting; each color and brushstroke of our own personal experience coming together to create a multidimensional, beautifully unique perspective, and physicalization of the human existence based on the ‘given circumstances’ of our lives. But to embody and create a new character in a piece of theatre, one needs to be able to strip all the gorgeous parts of oneself back, start with a blank canvas, and choose which colors, textures, and brushstrokes work best for the new human we are trying to create, and their unique life experiences.
My job as a teacher is to create the space for this work to take place through considered curiosity and play. To guide the student by providing them the tools to become their own blank canvas, and then ask questions, prompting them to look at different perspectives they haven’t thought of before, and let them be creative and brave in new circumstances, knowing that there is a safe base of communication and mutual responsibility beneath them.
The work that I gravitate towards explores character psychology and its emotional and physical impact on the external world. How investigating the connection to our bodies can enable us to find new ways of navigating different characters’ mental states. How the ‘invisible work’ of the actor (Eg; the work we do in class and rehearsal) can affect the ‘visible work’ of the actor. (Eg; speaking the text in performance.) I attempt to create a ‘low stakes, high yield’ environment in my classes where students feel safe and able to express themselves unguardedly, and giving students different avenues into learning and growth, knowing that not all pedagogies fit everyone. In addition, tailoring my individual approach to individual students and considering different backgrounds and responses to sensitive class work.