Service to the University
Recruiting
The Production Faculty work tirelessly to recruit new students every year. We hold on campus interviews, workshops for high schools in the area, and travel to performing arts high schools and festivals across the country to review portfolios. My personal emphasis is on recruiting efforts that will lead to a diverse and passionate Freshman class. Below, you will find my recruiting efforts from the past several years:
In Person and Online Interviews
2019-Present
Throughout the school year the Production Faculty holds in person and online interviews for perspective students. We begin with an information session explaining our program, describing our 8-term tracking and course options, and discussing our approach to production. We invite current students to answer questions while the prospective students wait to be interviewed, and offer a thorough tour of the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
Theatre Experience Day
2021-Present
Each year we hold a special day to introduce Theatre Production, and our program, to high schools around the Pittsburgh area. Schools sign up to meet our faculty, participate in several workshops, have lunch with our current students, and tour the set of a production we are currently running. During each Experience Day, I run a Color Theory class to show students the kinds of things we learn in Lighting Design classes, and it is always a huge hit.
Pittsburgh Unified Auditions
2023-Present
I have represented Point Park University at the Pittsburgh Unified Auditions, interviewing all the technical and design applicants. In 2023 the auditions were held in person, and in 2024 they were held virtually. I offered a workshop to all applicants, discussing assembling a portfolio for College Technical and Design Programs, and how to approach the application process. After the interviews, I organized the applicants and sent the promising students to our admissions office with complete ranking information.
International Thespian Festival
Summer 2024
Over the summer I attended a week of online interviews and applications from students all over the country. Rising high school juniors and seniors attended the conference to learn about different theatre programs, and I was able to reach out to over 50 students interested in Technical Production, Design, and Stage Management. I conducted 15 interviews. Many other students intend to interview at a later time.
Booker T. Washington Showcase
2023
I attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts annual College Showcase and College Fair in Dallas, TX. We set up a booth for the college fair displaying all of COPA’s programs. I also attended the Design and Production Exposition. I explored the portfolio displays and noted students who would be strong additions to our program. During callbacks, I was able to meet with and interview 19 students who covered the full range of designers and stage managers.
Chicago High School for the Performing Arts Connections Week
2021 - 2022
ChiArts, the high school in Chicago where I taught for a few years, held a college fair and invited theatre and performance programs from around the country to attend. I represented Point Park’s full Theatre Program, presenting all four departments and discussing the variety of majors we offer. I also offered a Theatrical Design workshop to the juniors and seniors in the Technical Theatre and Design class. I participated in a question and answer session where students asked for advice in what to look for in a college program.
Carnegie Mellon University PreCollege Program
2022 - Present
Each summer I teach a six-week Lighting Design class as part of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama PreCollege program, introducing high school students to a conservatory style production and design program. In addition to teaching Lighting Design, I teach part of the Applying for College class, in which students work on resumes and portfolios, learn about the application process, and research other programs they may be interested in. I teach a class looking at the different types of programs, such as Conservatory, semi-Conservatory, Liberal Arts, and Trade School. More and more students are discovering that they want the focus of a Conservatory, but the flexibility of a Liberal Arts program, and I always introduce them to the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park.
August Wilson Creative Voices Competition – Design Component
2023 - Present
In 2019/2020, I assisted the Goodman Theatre in creating a design branch of the August Wilson Monologue Competition. In the summer of 2023 I was asked to bring this design element to the Pittsburgh regional branch of the competition. I am currently working with the August Wilson House to create process and inspiration videos for local high schoolers, encouraging them to think about the worlds of August Wilson plays. We held workshops and trainings to help high schoolers develop the skills to communicate their creative ideas. Point Park donated rehearsal space and the design studio where we held weekly workshops, and the students got to experience what it would be like to train at Point Park.
