<p>I'll take all the feedback I can get.... here is what I have so far. Please let me know your thoughts - I'm having anxiety attacks at the notion of finalizing my application!</p>
<p>(Directions: Please use the space provided to explain your immediate and long term research and occupational goals with respect to your intended field of study. Please indicate why you have chosen to pursue your study at NU, and provide details regarding your particular areas of academic interest.)</p>
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<p>I was seven years old when I had my first substantial experience in theatre. My mother landed a small role in a community theatre production of My Fair Lady, and with my father building sets for the show next door, they had little choice but to bring me along to the late-night rehearsals. Within a week, I had memorized the script and was prompting actors for the stage manager. I also assisted with set changes, and suggested changes to the Ascot Gavotte, to the amusement of the choreographer. I was entranced, and subsequently my desire to be involved in every show organized by my school or the theatre group shaped and informed my transformation into an adult. </p>
<p>My teachers were less understanding about this than my family about my newly discovered interest. One painfully clear memory is of my high school career counselor, who informed me that while it was fine to be involved in a few extra-curricular activities to make my resume look good, because as an intelligent honors student I should really focus my attention on science and math. Awkward and insecure as most teenagers, I was crushed by her words. A week later, I received a letter from actor Tony Randall (who was, I later learned, coerced by my mother) telling me not to give up, and to continue to pursue all endeavors no matter how disparate they may seem to anyone else.</p>
<p>Over the years, I trained as a performer, working on and off-stage while holding down various jobs to fund my education. I found myself drawn to stage management as well as instructing, and worked at the Young Actors Ensemble, where I was able to do a bit of each. I found myself reiterating the same message to the young theatre troupe which that letter had impressed upon me: The skills valued in theatre, or any other artistic passion, do not make you less adept at any other subject. You can be an honors science student and still appreciate the gore of a well-performed onstage death. In fact, I explained, you may appreciate it more by understanding the performance on a new level and you may appreciate your next dissection in biology more if you can relate to with the experience.</p>
<p>As a current vocal and piano instructor who also works in Information Technology, I find myself restating this thought to students and to peers even today. Students who have a passion for their subject matter will learn and retain knowledge better than those who do not. </p>
<p>It is my goal to research and develop a curriculum that would allow students to study and develop their artistic passions while developing critical skills (reading, writing, arithmetic) alongside their interests. Too often, primary and secondary schooling segregates subjects that are integrated in everyday life, and they remain separate in the minds of the students throughout their lives. I believe that education should not be limited to traditional teaching methods, nor should the incorporation of the arts be limited to field trips and first-day improvisation games. The student who excels in math should be given the opportunity to appreciate the intricacies of music theory, just as the music student should be given the opportunity to see their practice through the clear light of mathematics. </p>
<p>As theatre is my lifelong passion, my research starts here, with no insult meant to the infinite number of other artistic studies available. The intention of my research will be to determine definitively that incorporating theatrical coursework within the parameters of critical subjects (for example, utilizing stage combat to demonstrate the laws of physics, or exploring set design as a means to understand geometry) results in increased student performance, while developing new student appreciation for theatre. </p>
<p>The Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre and Drama strikes me as an ideal place to form my research, with its focus on interdisciplinary scholarship, theatrical leadership, and training for academia. I am keenly interested in developing the Departments extensive work on the American Musical Theatre Project. I am also very curious as to the expertise of the dedicated, lifelong theatre educators including Mary Zimmerman, and welcome their guidance in developing this project, should I be accepted into the program.</p>