Theatre is everything.
It is story. It is physical. It is vocal.
AND it exposes everyone to history, language, math, science, music, geography, manners, diversity, and so many other things. I believe the performing arts should be a core class for all students.
Theatre prepares students for so many things in life: collaboration, instant problem-solving, responsibility, dependability, humor, acceptance, and above all, empathy. These are things that all employers look for when hiring future employees. You don’t have to want to be a performer to glean important life lessons from spending time creating theatre.
Life is a circle.
It is for me.
I have three siblings. Both of my brothers are hydrocephalic and have cerebral palsy. Between the two of them, they have had well over one hundred operations. Not fun but, luckily, we had a mom who was uber creative and dauntless. Despite many doctors saying, “They won’t live past 30” or “They won’t have children” or “They won’t ever ride bikes or drive cars,” my mom said, “Watch them!” And they did. They rode bikes. One of them drove a car. And they both had children. Don’t ever underestimate a child with challenges who wants to be just like the other kids!
At the same time, this incredible mother in the 1960s decided to create the first day camp for handicapped children in the State of North Dakota. This was unheard of. She relentlessly knocked on doors trying to convince parents of physically challenged children to let them come out the shadows to join us to play, sing, go swimming, be creative, and just be “one of the kids.” We produced and worked on this day camp every summer for five years. It was inspiring and fun, and my mom changed lives.
Producer. Director. Actor. Writer. Teacher.
A passion for theatre.
As was my dream, I pursued a career in the performing arts and racked up some decent credits. After we adopted our daughter, I fell in love with children’s literature and combined that with my knowledge of theatre to create something unique. It became the Peabody Award-winning Nursery Tap Hip to Toe DVD/CD series. About five years later, I went back to school to get a MA in Educational Theatre Production.
Teaching Students
After moving back to New York City, I landed a teaching job at Mary McDowell Friends Upper School as the Director of Theatre. MMFS just happens to be one of the only dedicated high schools for students with learning disabilities or LDs, as we say. My life is devoted to making sure my students, who have significant challenges, are seen, honored, and have as close to a professional experience being on stage as possible. When someone says, “This student will not be able to memorize” or “This is too hard,” I say, “Just watch them.”
These students of mine have exceeded all my wildest expectations, and I feel lucky to be working with every single one of them.
I am pretty sure I was hardwired to do this work. I only hope I can make the difference my mom made.
The circle of life continues . . .
Thank you so much for reading this and visiting my site!