Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Monica L. Hart
I am a catalyst. —A bearer of images and creations that will ignite fireworks of new ideas in the minds of others.
Why am I a teacher of theatre? –Because live theatre never ceases to amaze and inspire me. I am a theatre artist, a costume designer and a lover of the visual art of telling a story. Art is magical. It has the power to shape the lives of everyone it touches, artist and audience alike. I continually desire share theatre and its process with everyone and especially those who have never had the experience of a live theatrical performance. However, it is not just live theatre I want to share but the design of a costume, the detail of a silhouette, the elements that make it so appealing, and the history behind it. This strengthens the artist’s process and brings me great joy. I love to watch a student’s face light up the first time they see their design come off the page and walk out under the lights as a fully realized creation! I feel their sadness when something they loved drawing, painting and creating simply will not work. Guiding and shaping a young artist is a kind of creation. Teaching, passing on what I know about theatre, is a part of my art and a great part of creating and insuring live theatre will still go on.
I believe that everyone can draw, paint, and create, so my classroom is an exciting place to learn and to fail. Failing, or not succeeding in exactly what you envisioned, is still learning. I develop a rapport with my students as quickly as possible. Referencing popular themes of current cultural media is just one way that I bring their world into the world of theatre. After all, “the world is a stage” and I desire for them to understand how to create upon it. My students learn quickly that we are all in the class to learn together. Together, because they, quite often, teach me about what they know. I lead the discussions and guide them in ways that I feel will be meaningful and allow them to see the answers for themselves. I have found that this approach engages more of the class by empowering each student to express what they are thinking, not simply relying on me to tell them what to write or think. My utmost reward comes when ideas are being tossed around from student to student as they supply and answer one another’s questions and ending in laughter by the whole. Peer learning, self-teaching with me as a mentor. That is the best reward.
I am a defender of collaboration. Everyone’s voice is important and holds influence on the specific needs of each artistic endeavor. The design elements of costume are as much a character as the environment. Costume design is a silent language and the audience interacts with the particular barriers of this visual world. The audience may understand or misunderstand choices influenced by the relationship of the costume to the other elements of a given production. Costumes inform the viewer about a character long before the actors speak the scripted words. However, a design must also always serve the play and the needs of the given production. Specifically, the actor, upon whom everything is hinged, is vital to the design and must therefore feel a part of the design in order for the character to be emulated. Therefore, I will not say that I prefer naturalism, minimalism, expressionism, or any particular design style for each production and its collaborative team determines the artistic needs of the theatrical journey.
Theatre is not just a profession. I understand this truth. Theatre is an artistic battle that requires the sweat and tears of our visions to be put upon a stage for the voyeur. It makes us vulnerable, tells us the truth, and shows us who we are. I love theatre.
Why am I a teacher of theatre? –Because live theatre never ceases to amaze me.
Student presentation day in my Intermediate Costume Design course. THTR 316 Pictured here is student, Corinne Schiable, defending her midterm project for Lysistrata.