Scholarly Interests

 

Prior to my return to Graduate School to complete my Master of Fine Arts, I had been working as a freelance designer in the Midwest theatre community.  As an educator in Academic Theatre, I wish to continue freelance work as a means of bringing exposure of my students to the professional theatre community.  This provides opportunities for students to work with me in assistant capacities, which will provide real world opportunities for my students and also foster my personal creative growth.  These partnerships offer professional contacts who can then present master classes for my students.  I see this as a collaborative opportunity for my students looking for summer internships.  While in Graduate School, many new opportunities arose; for example, my work had been selected to be on exhibition at the 2011 Prague Quadrennial.  This is an organization that I continue to work with and will volunteer with in the future.  I am a member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and hope to continue to expand my role within that organization.   I will also seek out opportunities to publish my work in USITT’s Sightlines, Lighting & Sound America, and Live Design.

 

I have long been involved with technology in theatre; whether it is in the use of stage automation, new LED lighting technology, video manipulation and playback on stage, or simply exploring the latest technology presented by theatrical manufacturers.  It is a goal of mine to continue to develop these areas of personal interest and cultivate relationships with manufacturers and vendors to bring this technology into the classroom.

 

During my time at NIU as a graduate student, I was fortunate to work with Tracy Nunnally and Hall and Associates Flying Effects as a rigging and Flying Director; this experience has led me to pursue my own interests in the both the Performer Flying and Aerial and Circus Arts.  I have been taking Aerial Dance and Trapeze, and it is my hope to explore options for certification and teaching through the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) and to bring students these opportunities as performers, operators and riggers.

 

Above all else, I am looking forward to continuing my role within the theatre community to help mentor the next generation of theatre students as they make their transition from academia into the profession.  It is this type of mentoring that I have been fortunate to have had throughout my lifetime, and it has taught me to give back to those around me.