Bio
My teaching credentials include University of California Santa Barbara, Yale School of Drama, Temple University, Penn State, Arena Stage, Theatre Conservatorium in Brussels, Royal Conservatoire in Liege, Shakespeare and Company, University of Hawaii, Pepperdine University, Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Theatre of Changes in Athens.
As an actor, I have performed at many venues including The City Street Theater, Shakespeare and Company, Mark Taper Forum, Yale Repertory, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, California Shakespeare Festival, Sierra Repertory Theater, International Classical Acting Project, Pixie Judy Players, Independent Shakespeare Company, La Jolla Playhouse, People’s Light and Theater Company, The Working Theater, Red Pear Theatre in Antibes, La Mama ETC, Richard Allen Center and the Ensemble Studio Theater.
I am an art-activist for the liberation of marginalized voices. Through The People’s Voice initiative, I spearheaded The Odyssey Project, The Going Home Project and The Trojan Women Project. I continue to build applied theatre projects with, for, and by those who have experienced social injustice.
I am a Designated Linklater Teacher, a Fitzmaurice Teacher Trainer and am certified in Knight-Thompson Speechwork. I am a graduate of NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, hold a Masters in Oriental Medicine from Samra University and a Ph.D. in Theatre Studies from the University of California as Santa Barbara.
Teaching Statement
I am an eclectic teacher and like to pull from many sources. I’ve had the honor of studying with voice and speech luminaries as Kristin Linklater, Catherine Fitzmaurice, Patsy Rodenburg, and Dudley Knight. I’ve also benefited from the tutelage of many other famous mentors. As a perpetual student, I am ever grateful to my teachers.
Since I was a teenager, I’ve practiced yoga and received a certification from the Santa Barbara Yoga Center in 2006. A healing journey led me to eastern therapeutic methods, and I earned a degree in Chinese medicine in 1994. I draw from both acupressure and yoga as systems of energy flow and body awareness to enhance vocal freedom.
By offering clients diverse approaches to the voice—classical and established, groundbreaking and disruptive, I provide them with more options for tapping into their creativity by augmenting entrance ways to visceral sources for expression.
When artists have a supportive learning environment, they uncover their technique. I believe technique develops through collaboration and is not imposed, and with the appropriate tools of exploration, artists will create their personalized methods. Voice work essentially links to an expression having cultural, social, and political contexts. The concept of centering is not just physical. It is potentially spiritual, emotional, and psychological. In working on the voice, the person is determining a point of view. For the actor, that translates as a start point for character transformation.
I believe the greatest gift a teacher can give a student is independence. My job as a teacher is to set up a course of study where I self-destruct. The transmission of knowledge is a humbling process, and I see the teacher/student relationship as one of parity, not hierarchy. I respect each student as an individual. My task is not to impose a set structure of method on that person, but to learn how to support their unique evolution and growth.
Publications
“Voice and Chinese Medicine” In Shakespeare Round the Globe: Essays on Voice and Speech, edited by Mandy Rees, P. 362-374. Article (peer reviewed) 2005
“Creative Chaos in Fitzmaurice Voicework” In Consciousness, Theater, Literature and the Arts, edited by Daniel Meyer-Dingraefe, p. 34-40. 2006
Constructing the Holistic Actor: Fitzmaurice Voicework. Saarbruken: VDM Verlag, 2008
“Qi-Gong Breathing” In Breath in Action. Jessica Kingsley pub. Ed: Boston & Cook. Chapter. 2009
“Catherine Fitzmaurice,” Simon Williams, ed., Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stage Actors and Acting. Cambridge University Press. Encyclopedia entry. 2015
“Kristin Linklater,” Simon Williams, ed., Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stage Actors and Acting. Cambridge University Press. Encyclopedia entry. 2015
“Patsy Rodenburg,” Simon Williams, ed., Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stage Actors and Acting. Cambridge University Press. Encyclopedia entry. 2015