Teaching

Philosophy

I teach actors to develop their own creative process — not to imitate my results. My work emphasizes attention, imagination, and responsiveness: helping actors recognize when they're forcing a result, trust their instincts, and build the preparation and technique that make real discovery possible.

Approach

My teaching draws on a range of acting traditions: the Demidov technique (with Andrei Malaev-Babel), classical acting (with Jonny Epstein), Fitzmaurice Voicework, and physical approaches including SAFD-certified hand-to-hand combat, Viewpoints, the Williamson technique, clowning, and mask work — alongside on-camera and voiceover training. I describe my work as Demidov-informed.

Across these influences, I'm interested in the same question: how do actors prepare deeply while remaining open to what happens in the moment? A decade in classrooms has taught me that teaching starts with the individual actor — understanding what they need and helping them build a process they can trust.

Teaching Experience

  • AEA Guest Artist, Simsbury Public Schools, Connecticut (2026)

  • Private Acting Coach, virtual (2025–present)

  • Teaching Artist, Music Director & Vocal Coach, Pulse Performing Arts Studio, NY (2007–2010)

  • Teaching Artist, Charleston Stage Company (2008–2009)

  • Teaching Artist, Virginia Shakespeare Festival (2005)

  • Middle School Performing Arts Teacher & Advisor, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, Chicago (2015–2019)

  • Drama Teacher, West Ridge Elementary, CPS (2020–2022)

  • Theatre 1 Instructor, Evanston Township High School Summer School (2014–2015)

  • Drama Teacher, Oakton & Orrington Elementary, Evanston (2012–2015)

  • Choral Director / Teaching Artist, Metropolis School of the Performing Arts (2026)

  • Music Director, Infinity Arts Academy, Chicago (2019–2020)

  • Substitute Teacher, Chicago Public Schools (2025–present)

Directing

Nine full productions, including eight at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School (2015–2019): four musicals — My Fair Lady, The Lion King Jr., Fiddler on the Roof Jr., The Sound of Music — and four plays — Charlotte's Web, the devised piece NYConfusion, and Hamlet Jr. and Alice/Alice, both co-written by me and my wife. Also directed Connective Theatre Company's One Flea Spare (2019).

Education

  • MFA in Acting, FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training (2025)

  • MA in Educational Theatre and English, NYU (2012)

  • BA in Theatre & English, College of William & Mary (2007)

  • Illinois Professional Educator License: Theatre (all grades), English (7–12)

Areas of Teaching

Acting I & II · Scene Study · Audition Technique · Script Analysis · Shakespeare & Classical Acting · Introduction to Theatre · Theatre Appreciation · Ensemble & Collaborative Performance · Musical Theatre Acting

Additional areas supported by training: Acting for the Camera · Voice & Speech · Movement for the Actor

The Actor’s Nervous System

I host The Actor's Nervous System, a podcast exploring acting, embodiment, and the nervous system — an ongoing inquiry into how actors learn, which feeds my teaching.

Let's Work Together