Personal Statement: A Career As A Theatre Director

As faculty in the School of Performing Arts, we rely heavily on are own artistic experiences to add depth, knowledge and meaning to the educational environment we create for our students. Diversity almost informs every aspect of what we do as artists, and teachers.

Along with my role as an Executive Producer, I was heavily involved in the theater department at my high school. When most people

Please describe your short-term and long long-term personal and education/career goals. What has helped to shape your goals? What specific steps will you take to reach your personal, education, and career goals? (No more than 300 words)

My natural ability to organize activities, events, and items has helped me become more involved at school in various clubs and organizations that allow me to connect with people and learn more about myself and the world around me. As a theatre student, I have learned the value of teamwork, humility, and determination. Additionally, as a section leader in two auditioned choirs at my high school, I have learned how to lead by example, always look for the good in others, respectfully voice concern and constructive criticism, and act as a team member rather than a boss. My experiences in the arts have truly changed my life. The arts have defined me and made my high school career memorable, so I aspire to promote the arts and arts education for the rest of my life. I believe every student should have access to quality arts classes and activities in which they can express themselves, develop self-confidence, and improve their creativity and problem-solving

Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I have searched and searched for a talent that would give me a unique identity to make me stand out from my peers. When I was five years old, I was given the chance to be in a musical in our city's community theatre, PMT. This musical was "The Wizard of Oz", and I played the role of a munchkin in the Lollipop Guild. This initially sparked a great interest in theatre, and I fell in love with acting. I had an amazing mentor for my youth acting career, the late Jack Ewing. He played Harold Hill in PMT's production of "The Music Man", while I had the opportunity to play the role of Winthrop, the young boy that helps Harold Hill become a better person. (Jack later died a year before I had the chance to play the role of Harold Hill in my high school's production of "The Music Man Jr.") When I was about nine, PMT dissolved as an organization and therefore there was no community theatre around me for years, which put a setback in my interest and talent for theatre.

I am an award winning art educator. I have been teaching art for twenty years in the community and traditional educational setting. My diverse approach to art education has been recognized on a national level through several teacher fellowships and awards.

Education is about growing one’s self and paving the path for one’s journey. Thus, every step of education is important. During my time at USF, I hope to not only learn in a classroom but also outside of the classroom. Learning, however, is not a one way process to learn is to teach, and to teach is to learn. Thus, I aim to share my experiences. I have been active in theatre and dedicated to video production. For others in an LLC, I hope to share my knowledge about these topics and my passion for learning.

I started working at the theatre company when I was 8 years old as an Assistant Stage Manager and continued to work there until I left high school. I worked mostly with the logistics side of getting a live performance up and running as well as dealing with props and set pieces. I also worked as an intern and helped organize all of the archival footage for the theatre. I also spent time writing press releases and working on building the

Theatre for me has now become something I absolutely love. Being a part of this group has allowed me to find who I am. Theatre is truly a passion of mine whether I’m on stage or with a headset on calling the show backstage. If someone had told me four years ago that my experiences in theatre would shape the person I am today I would have laughed hard. It’s what I can finally call mine. No one can take that from

When it comes to a theatre production, there are numerous people who bring a play together. Everyone from the actors, stage hands, and even the audience create a theatrical experience. However, there are two very crucial roles that are involved in virtually every aspect of a production- the director and the producer. In every production, these two people will work very closely with each other to ensure that a play reaches its full potential.

Many kids grow up with the wish of becoming a famous star. Whether it is a movie star, being on Disney channel, becoming a pop star and selling out stadiums, or for spending their life on the Broadway stage. While it is a known fact that while many want to live in this prestigious world, only a small percentage of the people actually can make a living in this business. Many actors live paycheck to paycheck, and even if they become big in the business they may not know where their next job will be. But most do the business for their love of the art, not for the money of fame. Theater becomes a therapy for me as well as other people, whether it is performing in a show or it is seeing your favorite show live on stage.

I’ve wanted to pursue a career in theater for most of my life. I grew up going to a lot of shows and being in all the ones I could and I can not imagine doing anything else. As for academics, taking theater classes are what I look forward to each school year. Last year though, my school administrators sent out a list of teachers that would be laid off. The list included two out of the four art teachers, my theater teacher, and numerous others who hadn’t worked at our school very long. Basically, those the administrators deemed “unessential”.

Everyone has an activity that they prioritize over everything else. Ever since I was eight years old, mine has been theatre. When I was younger I participated in multiple shows at my church, and I started getting serious about acting when I was given roles in plays done at my middle school. When high school came around, I was ecstatic to continue my acting career. My freshman and sophomore years I was accepted into the advanced, audition-only theatre class at school, and even though for those two years I was not cast in any main stage shows, I was still optimistic.

For most of my life I have enjoyed being on stage and performing live theatre for the enjoyment of others. But recently, I have been debating whether or not this activity can be more than just fun. Could I really be an actress and get money for it? Am I good enough to make it big? I was in what I liked to call a “theatre slump”. But, one man believed in me and helped me to believe in my dreams again. He helped me get out of this “slump”.

After watching the play Hamlet, I realised that I wanted to develop my knowledge on the text as I realised that existing productions have been interpreted in many different ways. This triggered me to pursue English further as I currently create my own short stories and want to continue to do so in the future.