As an actor, director, and teacher, I believe that conveying a strong knowledge of classical and contemporary dramatic literature, as well as the relationship that individual texts have within the historical and social context of the era in which they were written, provides important groundwork for students. Then is it necessary to guide them through the process of taking what is on the page and breathing life into the texts, which, inherently, were meant to be performed. Moreover, it is the fundamental trust and job of the actor to determine the author's intention for a given play or script, and for his character, and then to develop the ability to become the instrument through which the character, play, or script is brought to life.

As a director, I continue to adhere to these principles by using this philosophy and training methods discussed in detail later. In short, however, I realize that I must remain open to the actor's personal talents and input, and guide them to my vision of the author's intention of the play as a whole and for each of the characters within it. Ideally, blocking and movement is determined organically through collaboration, or it can be predetermined depending on the factor of time or by the varying abilities of the actors themselves.

My personal teaching philosophy does not single out any one training method or technique, but instead, incorporates a wide variety of methods, techniques, and styles to achieve this goal. These methods are a fusion of characteristics learned from a diverse variety of teachers, as well as those personally developed, as a result of many years of study and experience in academic and professional venues. Originally, I was trained extensively and exclusively in classical theater with a special emphasis in Shakespeare. I learned to analyze texts at high levels, creating character from circumstance or use of the imagination, with a strong emphasis on physical and vocal methods to achieve character-more in the tradition of the English "Olivier," outside to inside style of acting. Later, I trained in and achieved the more organic inside to outside "Strasberg-Stanislavsky" method of acting. Both of these techniques, as well as many others, inform both my acting and my teaching methodologies.

Over the years, I have found that by incorporating as many training methods as possible, either an actor's external, conscious choices or internal, organic development, or both, can give rise to the creation, development, or enhancement of a character. Thus creating within the actor greater versatility and more dynamic emotional, psychological, physical, and vocal freedom, which brings with it a heightened level of choices and greater acting range. Similarly, I believe it is necessary to push an actor beyond his boundaries to play roles against type, which fosters personal growth as a human being and creates greater versatility as a performer.

My ultimate teaching goal is to assist the student actor in discovering his/her inner truth and personal honesty. I place faith in the belief that it is crucial for the actor to understand what makes him "the way he is" and why. Extensive self-analysis-including psychological, emotional and personal exploration-grants the actor greater knowledge and control of himself, which, in the end, makes him more capable of applying himself to all of the dynamics (psychological, emotional, physical, and vocal) of a given character.

In the event of my conferring a teaching position, I would utilize exercises, improvisations, and scene study in order to push students through their walls, boundaries, and personal limits. In doing so, I would hope to free their inhibitions and help them to connect with, and trust, their childlike impulses and freedoms. Some of the methods of creating character through the exploration of personal experiences that I would use include: visualization, affective memory, imaginative personalization and substitution, sense memory (sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing), exploring environment, and activities. Additionally, I would promote freeing the body through relaxation, neutralization, physical exercise and awareness, in order to help students gain control of "the physical instrument." Likewise, in order to assist students in freeing and gaining control of "the vocal instrument," I would incorporate relaxation, exercise, work on range and vocal placement, breath control, resonance, and articulation. Achieving freedom and control over both instruments allows the acting students to create or enhance their character through conscious, physical and vocal choices or changes, or by developing and changing freely and organically through the actor.

Briefly, other forms of instruction that I would incorporate include: analyzation of the play itself-how each scene supports the play, determining the relationship of each character within the spine of the play to each scene and to one another, exploring inner and outer character development, and short and long term character history. Additionally, various exercises, improvisations, and scene work would be implemented to determine character goals, objectives, and actions for the play, each scene, beats within each scene, and for each moment. In doing so, I would hope to promote exciting, unusual, and interesting acting choices, spontaneity, listening, playing the moment, action and reaction, the use of imagination and space, awareness of physical presence, how to give and take focus, as well as an understanding of text as a symphony and poetry, subtext, vocal highs and lows, beats, cadence and rhythms, etc., to name a few, amongst the students.

In order to achieve all of these goals, I believe it is obviously imperative to create a nurturing environment of safety, care, group support, and fun, where effort, risk taking, and emotional and psychological openness is encouraged, positively reinforced, appreciated, rewarded, and respected. Certainly, all students have different limits, abilities, barriers, and personalities; luckily, however, I have always had an excellent feel for who can be pushed a little harder to achieve a breakthrough and who needs, a gentle word, praise, or encouragement. In being alert to each of the individual student's needs, as well as the needs of the group as a whole, I would do my very best to mold each class into a true ensemble of actors who support and encourage one another. I encourage student involvement through guided positive comments and constructive critiquing, which not only keeps everyone involved and thinking about what works, what doesn't, and why, but allows students to learn from each other's success or failure as well as their own. Furthermore, this also enhances each of the student's acting abilities by strengthening their articulation of the acting process, and such interaction, if guided and kept cooperative, creates camaraderie and dissuades competition. In closing, as an instructor of acting it is my job to inform, to guide, to nurture, and to inspire all of my students to grow, not only as actors, but as human beings, and I take that responsibility very seriously, with sincere appreciation, honor, and respect.