Description / Biography

As the technical director for Beloit College’s Performing and Applied Arts Department, I have worked at the college since 2009. I particularly enjoy working with students in the scene shop I direct. Students who work in the shop come from all areas of campus and get hands-on experience in a variety of ways. For example, they learn to safely use hand and power tools, read drawings, problem solve, and work as a team to install scenery and lighting.

As students gain more skills and knowledge, they are given more leadership opportunities in the shop, becoming supervisors or as acting as master electricians or props masters for specific productions. My goal is that they acquire skills not only useful in theatre, but wherever their lives takes them. 

I teach a few classes at Beloit. Stage Management lays a basic foundation for the wide variety of information that stage managers need to know, and I try to provide the information in ways that will allow students use it outside the theatre building. The students learn skills such as time management, organization of materials, and ability to work well with groups; these are good skills to have in one’s life. I also mentor the student stage managers who are in charge of stage management for productions.

Stagecraft is a class where students learn the basic processes of technical theatre production and the construction of theatrical scenery. During the class, students increase their knowledge through in class lectures and discussion, as well as through hands on projects in the scene shop. 

I am also excited to be teaching Sound Design as part of the PART curriculum. Students learn about role of sound design in a variety of areas of the entertainment world, and have opportunities to create designs of their own during the class. 

When not playing in the theatre, I can often be found snuggling or playing with my cats, cooking up some tasty food, or getting caught up in some reading.