STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Theatre starts from humanity’s need to interact and belong to the surrounding community.

Theatre students exposed to a broad base of learning, encompassing the intellectual and emotional world of the human, respond authentically, expansively, and are filled with curiosity, vitality, and a sense of play.

I believe that the process of artistic discovery functions like muscle memory. Once the student is exposed to an artistic experience, that encounter becomes an integral part of the aesthetic and artistic sensibility of the student and will invariably inform his/her creative vision.

My method of teaching is based on the belief that a student must explore the creative process instinctually first, and then analytically. The instinctual approach provides raw material that charges creativity and enlightens the subsequent analytical exploration and the journey towards performance.

I believe that the classroom interaction with each student is the winning factor in the successful exploration of the performance process. Much work is dedicated to creating a safe and nurturing environment where an ensemble can flourish. In this environment, trust is carefully built one class at a time, and it is presented to the student as the essential condition for the success of the theatre artist.

As a teacher, I work toward simplicity, immediacy, and specificity through a practical and hands-on approach. One of my responsibilities is to maximize the natural curiosity of each student, reminding us all not only how we do what we do, but the humanity in why we do what we do.

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH AGENDA
My research and creative interest is in defining “Theatre Pragmatics” for both acting and directing. The main objective of Pragmatics is to discover the common ground between body and mind where psychophysical artistic expression comes to full fruition.

In my acting classes, I am working to find a bridge between the psychological work of Meisner and the physical availability developed through contact improvisation and movement. With Meisner, I increase the physical activity of the repetition exercise, while with movement I add text to contact improvisation. In this way, I work toward helping the actor find a balance between the availability ofthe mind and that of the body.

In directing, my work is in translating the language of the directing process into a more contemporary lexicon; a language that closely reflects the postmodern aesthetic and process. Translating the language affects the modus operandi of the director: blocking becomes patterning, units become fragments, and literal actions are mechanics. Table work happens once the actors have had a physical experience of the text; an experience that when brought to the table has already a tangible history.

This intellectual and practical research finds its culmination in the creative process of what I call TransPerformance. Here, in the collaborative spirit of the ensemble, theatre artists explore the psychophysical world of performance and its contemporary representations.