William Ball, the late artistic director of ACT, San Francisco, states in A Sense of Direction, "a thing becomes beautiful because of the possibility of its absence." This simple, yet profound, statement is one I refer to in my work with students, for it touches upon the idea that every person has value and is worthy of our respect. I try to keep this idea at the core of my teaching by building an environment of trust where flexibility, patience, and humor are encouraged, even while completing serious tasks. When students know that their presence and perceptions are appreciated, they become willing collaborators and are usually eager to receive and benefit from evaluative feedback.

Although I teach a number of different directing classes (Beginning, Advanced, Directing New Plays, Directing for Period and Style), there is consistent emphasis placed upon collaboration and communication, on developing comprehensive skills in text analysis, and on learning how to use space, shape, time, movement, and emotion in appropriate and stimulating ways in our work as directors. Directing students engage in viewpoint theory practices, exercises in composition and picturization and, depending upon the class, any number of practical directing assignments, including: creating a scene for a piece of music, re-creating important moments in our lives, and directing dream scenes. We also direct 10-minute and one-act plays and scenes from dramatic literature that meet the needs of the respective classes. Over time, students are encouraged to develop a strong point of view towards their place in the theatre. It is my hope that their perspective will be reflected both in the stories they choose to tell and in how they tell them.