While
as an Associate Professor of Speech and Theatre, my primary teaching
appointment is in the Performing Arts Department, I have come to
think of the Philosophy and Humanities Department as my second home
at Oakton! In fact, during the seven years I have been here,
I have probably taught more classes in the Humanities than in my
“main” discipline, including Introduction to Theatre
(Hum131), Introduction to Music (Hum125), and my favorite class
of all, Women and Creativity (Hum142)—an IAI approved course
for which I designed curriculum and introduced to the Oakton schedule
five years ago. In addition to working in the classroom, you
can find me down in the Performing Arts center teaching acting and
speech, directing plays and helping to coordinate our season of
plays and concerts.
In addition to teaching, I
serve on a variety of committees and initiatives, most notably the
Women’s Day Committee and Oakton Educators for Social Responsibility.
This might hint at what has become the primary focus of my teaching
career, using the arts and humanities as a vehicle for promoting
social justice—especially women’s rights—and for
celebrating multiculturalism. This is reflected not only by
the committees I serve, but also in the kinds of plays and projects
I direct and promote. Some highlights in this area have been
directing the North American premiere of Mileva Einstein,
a revisionist look at the marriage of Albert, and his brilliant
first wife, Mileva, bringing Eve Ensler’s Vaginia Monologues
to Oakton, and recently, in staging a production of Walter Mosely’s
A Red Death, as part of Uncommon Directives, a city-wide
celebration of multicultural detective fiction. As a member
of the Honor’s Faculty, I regularly teach core tandems with
colleagues Richard Stacewicz and Vicki Giambrone.
When not working (?) I love
to read, garden, walk and travel, and am the mother of the world’s
greatest 15 year old daughter. I have been a full-time teacher
in the Illinois Community College systems for 14 years, but before
that I had an active career as an actress and opera singer.
In fact, I met my husband of 27 years on stage! It’s
a great story, so stop by my office, Room 2739, sometime and I’ll
tell you about it.
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