The Art of Play

I was quite the performer growing up! I remember wrapping myself in blankets and pretending I was on Broadway, wearing the most elegant gowns and put on performances for my stuffed animals or my parents. At one point, I found myself on an actual stage for my local community theater. Now I’m sharing my love for theater and teaching youth and families of all ages abou the art of play.

I wholeheartedly enjoy being Professional Make Believer!

 

Actin’ Up Improv Info

  • I am a teaching artist with the following organizations: Seattle Children’s Theater, Asé Theatre, Arts Corps, iUrban Teen, Nurturing Roots Farm, Path With Art, Seattle Parks & Rec, and the Seattle LGBTQ+ Center. Check out my upcoming workshops and classes here.

  • I have lead theater workshops for ages 3 - adult. Improv and playing pretend it for all ages!

  • Yes! I offer a variety of workshops for small groups to large camps. I have curriculum for all ages. Interested in booking a one-time workshop or a series? Contact me!

  • Yes! I offer privates, small group sessions, private tutoring, rehearsal support, and more. Contact me here.

  • I teach a variety of other mediums including creative movement/dance, meditation/stretching, visual arts (crafting, painting, collage), and intro to drum and singing.

Actin’ Up Improv?

I offer improv and creative movement classes for youth and families of all ages. I primarily focus on using improv as a method of social-emotional learning (SEL) and healing. My workshops are guided and mostly participant-led.

Workshops include Land Acknowledgments, theater games, art projects, meditation, group discussions, reflections, and relevant social justice topics.

Pictured: Me (circa 2005) playing and truly working it!

Intentional Teaching

Theater programs, well honestly, art programs in general, weren’t very accessible to me growing up in Detroit, MI. Whether due to finances, transportation, or being in a program where I’m the own person of color. This greatly impacted my confidence in my abilities, and made me feel like my dreams of acting were unattainable.

I aim to work with art organizations that implement anti-racist and social justice frameworks, and most importantly, serving Black and brown youth in the community.

For example, I currently teach theater classes and other workshops at iUrban Teen, a free online platform for Black and brown youth offering various workshops on language skills, financial literacy, coding, and art.

I actively practice intentional teaching.

Pictured: me (middle) in a West Seattle improv class in 2019. I thoroughly enjoyed this class, and it was free, but there isn’t anyone who looks like me.

Upcoming Workshops

Sample Course Outline

Pictured is a sample outline of a 4 week course that met for 1 hour twice a week.

This class is adaptable for early elementary students to adults.

Below are some key concepts we explored through this course:

Improv Basics

  • Props & Object Work

  • Using vs. Becoming

  • Offers

  • Yes, And…/Accepting/Response

  • Rejection/Blocking

Character Development

  • Character Traits

  • Character Relationships

  • Dialogue

Developing an Environment & Scene

  • Specifics (Who/What/When/Where/Why/How)

  • Storytelling

  • Perspective

  • Conflict & Raising-the-Stakes

Healing

  • Individualized Interpretation

  • Being Present

  • Letting Go of Control

  • Problem Solving

  • Creative Collaboration

Book Me

Representation Matters

Representation matters and I love to include my beautiful Black culture into my workshops. For example, Actor of The Day is my way of highlighting young diverse artists. I love using Google Jamboard as a resource for a collaborative classroom because it allows participants to be anonymous which is great for those who are anxious about sharing.

Pictured: a photo from Jamboard from my tween improv class in 2021. At the bottom are responses from my students. After their shared responses, we went into a discussion of self love.

Curating A Brave Space

Sharing your artwork and showcasing your silly side is very vulnerable. At the beginning of every class, I set the tone for a creative space to ensure participants feel brave, included, and valued. I thoroughly enjoy the Invitation to Brave Space poem written by Mickey Scottbey Jones based on Beth Strano’s original work.

I use this poem to construct the class contract on the first day of class.

Resource Library

I’ve created a shared resource library that I continue to update with resources, curriculum, and other tools for families and educators.

Resource Library
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