Professor/Mentor
HEAD OF MFA DIRECTING, NEW SCHOOL FOR PERFORMING ARTS
I came to the New School through the creative solution to a problem. We needed a theatre for the world premiere of Sam Shepard's play, The God of Hell. We had the incredible cast of Tim Roth, Randy Quaid, J. Smith Cameron and Frank Wood for a limited window of time so was a "make it work" situation. By partnering with The New School, we slashed typical commercial producing costs, landed a great space for the production, and placed students in contact with these great artists. I ended up staying at The New School for 12 years, building the MFA Directing program and mentoring outstanding emerging theatre artists.
During my tenure as Head of MFA Directing, we transformed the program, it's pedagogy and curriculum. My students received such awards and fellowships as The Princess Grace Scholarship Award, the New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellowship, New York Stage and Film Residency, The Drama League Directing Fellowship, The Asolo Rep Directing Fellowship, among others.