One of my college mentors said, “When you’re truly in the bubble, you don’t know you’re in the bubble”.  Ironically, it was my quest to embody that motto as an actor that sent me cascading downstage in a bubble from the rafters of the Gershwin to make my Broadway debut as Glinda in Wicked.  

 

To be present onstage, out of our heads and into our bodies, playing in the show’s world is what separates magical actors from peel-and-stick-actors. I am obsessed with helping my students unleash their own magic!  My classroom is a collaborative workshop of play and experimentation, where most importantly we are free to fall flat BIG. We approach material in a multitude of ways, (ex. setting a mental scene of surroundings, mapping the arc, physicalizing a dynamic etc.) so they can become flexible with direction, song, and scene interpretation.  I believe coming at material from many different angles yields the most open, authentic, and connected out-of-the-box-moment-making-actors. I will take failure with conviction and intention over a safe choice everyday.  

 

Once a student is willing to skate on the edge, if you will—to trust the free fall—the real learning begins. That day is always special. But to facilitate this essential element of artistic and intellectual growth, I know that I must strike the balance between jumping in with them to disarm their nerves while also creating enough space in the room for them to find their own way forward. Helping a student find their ‘voice’ in the classroom, and ultimately onstage, is one of the most important accomplishments a teacher can achieve. Students can do remarkable things if they believe in themselves. Almost unconsciously, they can reach above their perceived ceiling, redefining what they and others thought possible for them.

 

As a coach, regardless if I am working with a Broadway actor or someone just starting out, I meet them where they are and look more for what might be there, than what might not.  Helping them foster and trust what they already bring to the table as an intricate human being, can help them access bonus reserves they never realized they had.  I, myself, know from personal experience the ways in which a supportive arts environment can unlock the doors of personal growth and future professional achievement.  My wish is for all my students to know being prepared, focused, directable, and unapologetically you is the formula for doing solid work, leaving it all on the table, and most importantly moving on with a healthy outlook for the next lucky opportunity to play.