The Power of Creativity: My Role as a Teaching Artist

Immediately as you walk through the front doors of Nashville Children's Theatre, you can feel the humming energy - and it's coming from the kids! Whether they are watching a performance or just finishing up a camp session, kids of all ages crowd the lobby literally bouncing with excitement. You might hear about a giant frog that invaded the space station, the additions made to a time traveling machine, or bits of Shakespearean verse that have been re-written for a rap battle.

The work being done at Nashville Children's Theatre is essential to helping today's kids feel empowered to take risks and have fun. For many families, the theater's enrichment is a much needed constant in a turbulent post-Covid world. I cannot begin to describe how fortunate I feel to be a part of such an energetic and inclusive space.

All the magic flying around is thanks to a very simple but overlooked concept: creative play. As a teaching artist, I am dedicated to fostering creativity in today's children while also sneaking in some Theatre skills and terminology. I provide a loose structure and maybe a starting point, but the rest is up to the kids. They get to decide the setting we explore, the characters we meet, and all of the action.

While it may sound easy, the handing over of control can be quite a challenge! Complete student choice means that I have to be focused 100% of the time and have my improv skills at attention on deck. I become an expert multi-tasker jumping from a tour guide to an alien and then to a talking rock who only speaks in riddles all while making sure every child is equitably engaged.

I work with a range of ages from as young as six years old up to seventeen years old. Because of this, the skills incorporated may vary. Younger children focus on using the Actor's Toolbox to create characters and settings and to understand cause and effect of how one action or event might lead to another. Middle aged children add on to this foundation by learning stage directions and exploring character motivations through improvisation. The eldest children expand on what they have learned by becoming scriptwriters, directors, or by honing in on one skill such as monologue memorization, Shakespearean dialect, or acting for the camera.

I could not imagine a more exciting and dynamic job - I love what I do! If you'd like to see a sample lesson plan, click here or contact me for more information.