Research and Teaching
PUBLICATIONS, PROJECTS, & PEDAGOGY
TEDxTufts 2020
500000+ views
Courses and Curriculum
Introduction to Acting: Presence & Craft
Tufts University (Fall 2019—Present)
Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies
A course in acting aimed at enhancing self-confidence, oral expression, and creativity. Emphasis on concentration, motivation, and improvisation, and what it means to create a character and speak before an audience while collaborating to form theatrical worlds.
"The flexibility of Jo. They were so understanding and modified the course to meet all of our needs. The course encouraged interaction with other students and that was super helpful. During a pandemic we feel alone, and that interaction was the best part of my day."
"The class was very fun and engaging.I think learning different techniques was really important. Building a comfortable safe space for everyone also felt very important."
Devised Performance: Creativity in Crisis
Tufts University (Hybrid, Spring 2021)
Theatre, Dance, & Performance / Gender & Sexuality Studies
Creativity is necessary in times of crisis. This studio course surveys transgressive artists (from Gertrude Stein to Jordan Peele) to locate aesthetic source material for the development of in-class, devised performances where students fabricate & imagine futures outside of crisis.
"[This course] has made me consider the different ways that I can express different feelings or stories through different mediums."
"Jo is amazing as a caring instructor who always asks provoking questions...One–on–ones with the professor [helped facilitate my learning] because the feedback was really useful in applying for the rest of the semester."
Camp: Humor, Bad Taste, and Cult-Classics — Tufts ExCollege (Fall 2021 & Fall 2022)
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies / Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies / Film and Media Studies
Syllabus Available Upon Request
Public Speaking — Tufts University (Summer 2022)
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies / Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies / Film and Media Studies
Syllabus Available Upon Request
Introduction to Theatre: Play is the Thing — Boston College (Fall 2022—present)
Theatre Department, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
Syllabus Available Upon Request
Sensational Performance and Media (undergraduate)
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies / Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies / Film and Media Studies
Syllabus Available Upon Request
Camp: Notes on Gender-bending, Somerville Arts for Youth
Grades 5-8 and High School
Stanislavsky Method, Yale Dramatic Association
Spring 2021 Acting Intensive for High School
True Colors Summer Intensive, The Theatre Offensive (Summer 2022)
Content creation and Story/Performance Exploration for LGBTQIA+ Youth (13-19 years old)