I love teaching theatre! I do believe that learning happens most deeply when the students are having fun and building trust as a group. Creating an open and playful environment in class also means that students build relationships with each other more easily. Feeling close and connected encourages more risk taking, more experimentation, and more mistakes, which in turn provides confidence and experiential learning. This is one reason why I make sure we laugh together first before tackling the scarier challenges of high-pressure performance situations. Laughing together as a class not only builds trust but also releases tensions around difficult subjects, creating a more receptive atmosphere for the introduction of controversial ideas. For more of my teaching philosophy, please click here.