The discipline of theatre management, of leadership in the arts, is based on human interaction and relationship building. A good manager has a comprehensive understanding of their own humanity and that of the other humans around them. Learning how to do some of the basic administrative tasks (budgeting, writing rehearsal reports, spiking a stage floor, creating a production season calendar) is necessary, and I make it a personal goal to see that each learner leaves Auburn with these foundational skills. Those ideas are taught through laboratory experiences offered in conjunction with a variety of texts. It’s the interpersonal relationship building, however, that I focus on as the most imperative skill for successful graduates going forward. I am actively working to implement an anti-racist, feminist pedagogy practice in my teaching. In my classrooms, I value self-reflection and assessment, critical engagement, compassion, and exhibitions of curiosity.​

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Self-reflective essays at the beginning and end of the semester provide a structured method for students to practice self-assessment. At the top of the semester, each student reflects on the prompts given (current strengths, places they need to expand and grow, fear or biases they bring, goals they have for themselves). Upon the completion of the semester, they are asked to reflect on congruent prompts as they relate to their growth through the project assignment.  Through this self-reflection, I gain insight into each student, where they are in their understanding of themselves and the world around them as it relates to theatre and performance. For example, learning from a student that they struggle to speak positively about themselves in front of others and that they have a tendency to self-deprecate helps me to guide our practicum conversations. Together, we are able to assess what actions they can take - as they can only control their own actions - to improve their connection with the community of art makers with whom they are working.
 

Reading texts outside the field of management creates a classroom environment that cultivates critical thinking and curiosity. For example, my Business of Theater class read bell hooks’ All About Love. I ask the students to grapple with how love in all its forms is related to how they interact with their communities. The students are challenged to engage with the material beyond theory. Each class, the students are asked to choose a passage from the reading that resonates with them somehow. Then, using think-pair-share as a basic structure for class conversations, I ask the students to reflect on the following questions: How does this one sentence or passage impact the way you think about your artistic practice (what you do, who you are within the artistic process, how you make choices about your work)? How does this one sentence or passage make you think about how you want to be within your communities? Tussling with the idea of leading their artistic practice with love is not often the road artists walk down. Through this critical engagement, the students travel together down a new path to understanding, a new way to explore their craft and their place within the arts field. 

Theatre and performance are focused on our humanity, how we connect with one another, how we build community. As a manager of the arts, you must have compassion for and a deeper understanding of the humans you work with each day; as a manager, you must cultivate community within your collaborators. To this end, students complete projects that ask them to make decisions based on what is best for the larger community. We role play difficult scenarios of human interaction in situations common in the performing arts and analyze choices afterward. Alongside this work, we explore behavioral theories, how they manifest within the arts, and how a successful manager utilizes different techniques of influence. From preventing tense interactions in a technical rehearsal by keeping snacks available (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs), to motivating collaborators even when power differentials make it challenging (McGregor’s Theory X and Y, Acceptance Theory), I give students the opportunity for understanding the theoretical in the practical. 

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Training with thought leaders in the field around anti-racist teaching methods, training and working as an Intimacy Director, and learning from the students themselves, I am constantly looking for ways to expand my compassion, knowledge, and practice. Some of the ways that I push myself to grow as a professor include taking courses on new teaching techniques, working professional gigs that push me out of my comfort zone, and challenging myself to teach vulnerably and honestly. Each day offers new adventures and I work to lead by example in my own critical thinking, self-assessment, compassion, and curiosity.

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