After several years as a teacher and as a working artist in the professional world of theatre, I have found that my own experiences help me in the classroom.  It is my responsibility as the instructor to help my students make the connection between their life in the University and their life in the world.  To facilitate this connection for my students, I strive to maintain a connection for myself.  I remain active in the theatre community outside of university, using my skills as a scholar to present at national conferences and to publish in national journals, and as a practitioner to collaborate with other artists on productions as a director, actor, or dramaturg.  By providing the best possible model for my students, that to be active in theatre means exploring all of the possible venues available, I am able to infuse in them the curiosity that I believe is essential for any theatre practitioner. 

I expect a great deal from my students and am always willing to give them as much.  I re-evaluate my syllabi and lessons at the conclusion of each semester, relying on the students’ evaluations to assist me in adjusting assignments or lessons that are not as successful.  As I expect my students to arrive at each class ready to work and fully prepared, I promise them that I will hold myself to the same standards.  I work hard to make my classes both fun and enlightening; my passion for theatre is the reason I am there and I want that to be very apparent.  I treat my students with respect and am constantly reminded of the joy I find in teaching.