Research and Theory

PUBLICATIONS, PROJECTS, & PEDAGOGY

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TEDxTufts, March 2020

Publications & Presentations

Courses

Introduction to Acting: Presence, Craft, and Creativity — Tufts University (In-Person and Virtual)
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. Somehow managed to make Zoom a place for acting. They made the class super fun. Also, 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. We did a little background on historical theater techniques...[and] I didn't mind having reading suggestions at the beginning of the semester. I think learning different techniques was really important. Building a comfortable safe space for everyone also felt very important."

Camp: Notes on Gender-bending, Somerville Arts for Youth

Grades 5-8 and High School

As a scholar of camp aesthetics and theatre practice, this master class would cover the specifics of gender as portrayed in camp theatre, as well as the opportunities and disadvantages of gender-bending in theatre through a workshop of "cross-gender" monologues and movement. While this is not a lesson on drag, the class will touch upon the activist nature of drag performance, RuPaul's Drag Race, and AIDS activism of ACT UP and beyond (using Susan Sontag as a guide). Pop culture and internet media is also discussed in regards to the memed question: "what is camp?" My hope is that students will come out of this master class with the tools to better play with gender on stage in a way that is optimistic, full of comedy, full of mistakes, open to discovery, and fully camp.

Devised Performance: Creativity in Crisis — Tufts University (Hybrid)

Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies / Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Stanislavsky Method, Yale Dramatic Association

Spring 2021 Acting Intensive for High School

Cubing the Scenery: Embodied Practice of Cubism and Its Descendants (undergraduate)

Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies / Women's, Gender, Sexuality Studies / Art History

Syllabus Available Upon Request

Camp Sights: Aesthetics of Humor, Bad Taste, and the Cult-Classic (undergraduate)

Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies / Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies / Film and Media Studies