The Matchbox Theater

I start each class with personal introductions. Then I talk through the process of the training that each student will learn in the first class and throughout the remaining classes of a particular 8-10 week session. I give each student a folder with the acting handout material that we will study throughout the course. I also provide a password protected online site where students can download the handout material plus additional monologues and scenes that we will use in the classroom. The online site is useful for students to also upload videos of particular on-camera assignments in the event they miss a class. Students can also converse with one another on the online site and communicate with me if they so choose.

I have been a professional actor since the age of 18. I have studied dance and acting since an early age. Recently, I received my Masters in Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in eLearning and Technology Education from Concorida University/Portland. I completed all of my Master in Arts graduate classes in Theater Directing at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. I received a BA in Dance from Point Park University in 1978 and danced professionally with the Atlanta Ballet, Dallas Ballet , and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. 

Over the years, I have studied wth some of the premier instructors in dance, theater, film/television/radio, commercials, and comedy improv. In Dallas, Texas I taught dance and acting at the Conservatory of the Southwest, KD Studios, and Margo Manning Casting and Acting Studio. In 1994, I founded The Matchbox Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico where we offered an array of acting classes for Stage, Television and Film, TV Commericals, Comedy Improv, and Broadcasting for Radio/TV. I also taught Stage Make-Up at The University of New Mexico. In 2000, I moved to Minneapolis, and have taught after-school acting programs at Burroughs Community School. I also directed severl Reader's Theater projects, a World Culture's Day, and A Bob Dylan Tribute at Burroughs in addition to directing two children theater productions: an origninal musical called Earth Day Musical: The Day the Planet Got Better and Charlotte's Web. I re-opened the new Matchbox Theater in 2015 in SW Minneapolis where I have taught summer workshops and directed a two plays including Thom Pain (a play about nothing), and the famous Irish play, The Wier. I also produced the highly acclaimed Einstein: A Stage Portrait starring Thomas Schuch in the Fall of 2017. Most recently, I directed David Mamet's Oleanna in the Fall of 2018.

In my younger years, I taught ballet and movement classes in Pittsburgh, Dallas, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque.

Standard 1 hour acting classes are usually $20. My on-camera classes are $25 for a 1.5 hour class. 8-10 week course sessions run from $150 - $250.

Over the years, I have admired and respected the many great teachers I have studied with in education, theater, television, film, and dance. I was influenced by teachers at an early age and that interest continued through my elementary, middle school, high school, college, and post graduate studies.

I have participated, as a student, in numerous professional acting workshops. It became a natural evolution for me, as an artist, to become a teacher myself and impart the wisdom and experience I have learned from others and "pass it forward." 

I have trained students aged 4 - 88. I have worked with actors, entertainers, business executives, IT professionals, scientists, engineers, doctors, and CEOs.

Receiving my Masters Degree in Education at the ripe old age of 61 (in 2014) was a major milestone and accomplishment. I am also immensely proud of my teenage daughter and the talents she has in musical theater, voice, and guitar. I take great pride in seeing her perform!

Look for someone with vast experience and knowledge. Also, look for someone that enjoys teaching and has PASSION! Check out their reviews and references.

Be aware of local modeling-acting schools that lure unsuspecting students with hopes of "being discovered" at large gatherings/auditions at local hotels and malls advertising well-known New York/LA/Disney casting directors and then ask for excessive fees to train at their local schools. These places are rip-offs and take advantage of people. Call the local SAG-AFTRA office to find out about these types of cattle call auditions.

What are your personal goals as an actor? What expectations do you want to achieve with your acting? What can I expect to learn after I take classes or a workshop at your acting school?