Teaching Artist and Administrator

Currently, I serve as the Artistic Director of Youth Performance Company (YPC), where I lead our artistic programming and help shape the company’s future. YPC’s mission is to empower youth and inspire social change through bold theatre—a mission that brings together so much of what I care about: directing, education, collaboration, and creating meaningful opportunities for young artists.

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Before joining YPC, I was the Director of Education at Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre Company. I oversaw programs ranging from in-school residencies to classes, camps, internships, and the Teen Arden musical. I loved working alongside teaching artists, educators, families, and community partners to create theatre experiences where young people could explore, take risks, and grow.

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Prior to that, I spent ten years at CLIMB Theatre, an award-winning theatre for youth in the Twin Cities. I began as an actor and teaching artist and eventually became Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education. During my time there, I designed educational programming, helped develop eight to ten new works each year, wrote grants, evaluated programs, and contributed to the company’s artistic and educational vision.

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I hired, trained, and mentored a wonderful team of teaching artists. Together, we created programs that ranged from improv and traditional theatre skills to devised work and arts-integrated curriculum about subjects such as water conservation. That work gave me the opportunity to teach people from preschool through adulthood, including students with a wide range of abilities and learning needs.

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Teaching at the college level has also become an important part of my work. I have taught acting at Indiana University and the University of Southern Indiana, including Fundamentals of Acting and Acting I and II. In the classroom, I ask students to take bold risks and ownership of their work. I want them to build artistry, but I also want them to become more curious, confident, and generous collaborators.

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My time at CLIMB introduced me to the idea of radical play, a philosophy that continues to shape everything I do. Radical play begins with a simple belief: playful acts can create real change. Theatre encourages us to be curious, empathetic, collaborative, and brave. It isn’t reserved for a select few—it is a craft anyone can use to explore our shared humanity, build community, bring joy, and create change.