projects
distance learning
Online Educational Theatre Content
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During the Covid-19 pandemic, I designed and created this set of educational videos as a part of a weekly web mini-series I launched through Ovation Theatre Company. My goal was to provide fun and accessible content that could be enjoyed by students of all ages as well as their families. I covered a range of topics in theatre, from choreography to acting, stage management, and stage combat. Each video included a mini-lesson and activity, with a link to a corresponding worksheet designed to guide students through the activity step by step. I also provided tiered challenges within the activities and offered extension activities with rich opportunities and resources for further learning to meet the needs of a diverse pool of learners.
sample lessons
Curriculum Unit Plan​
I designed this unit plan on scene work as a part of a course on teaching and learning in middle and secondary schools. It includes an introduction, a rationale, a UbD template, a unit plan calendar, five complete lesson plans, two assessments (a unit test and a final project), a list of resources, and a summary and reflection. The unit is based around the idea of teaching basic acting principles through the performance of an open scene, or a set of dialogue without any context that can be applied in a variety of different scenarios. Each lesson touches back on this long-term collaborative project, which serves as a continued avenue for application of the new skills introduced each day. Individual lessons consist of a warmup, an opening activity designed to spark discussion and to allow students to engage with material in a concrete way prior to direct instruction, a mini-lesson, and an application activity that provides an opportunity for continuous assessment of student learning. Students will have myriad opportunities to perform for each other formally and informally and to give and receive constructive criticism from peers as well as the teacher, helping to establish a welcoming, judgement-free environment and to build trust within the classroom community. This unit presents challenging material for this age group in an accessible format that allows each student to work to their strengths and confidently approach difficult concepts within the flexible framework of an open scene.
community outreach
Teacher Resource Guide​
I researched, wrote, and compiled the content within this guide in connection with my senior capstone project directing Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice. My goal was to combine my passions for theatre and education by piloting a student matinee program to increase the Mount Holyoke Theatre Arts Department’s outreach in the surrounding communities. Through the program I organized, 40 students from West Springfield High School and 60 students from Holyoke High School attended a free matinee performance and talkback with the cast and creative team. I sent this guide to participating teachers two weeks before the show for use in the classroom prior to the performance. The guide is a comprehensive look at the production and provides historical background and context to ground students’ understanding of the play, introduces the characters, gives a synopsis of the plot, and ends with a glossary of terms important to the play with which students might be unfamiliar. I included four mini-lessons covering the topics of the authors and the process of adaptation, as well as gender roles, class status, and dance in Jane Austen’s time. Each one includes an article accompanied by a classroom activity with detailed instructions and questions for discussion. The activities are directly related to the content of the articles and are all designed to help students further explore the content introduced and to relate it to their own experiences.