During the search process of finding a graduate school in which to pursue my MFA in Directing, I had occasion to speak with Brian Mertes from the theatre program at Brown/Trinity Rep. He observed that life consists of a series of time spent grappling with questions...and that ten years was a pretty good chunk of time within which to explore any given question.
Smart guy. |
Question One: How Do You Blow Up A Balloon?
The exciting allure of drugs, sex and rock and roll were definitely not part of my view of the sixties in Absecon, New Jersey. It was a time for much simpler questions. We had a colonial house in a seaside version of Mayberry RFD. It was a time when you disappeared with your bike in the morning and no one worried if you didn't appear again for hours at a time. Little League, fishing in the bay and discovering secret stashes of pyrotechnics in the neighbors basement were the boundaries of adventure. |
Question Two: What Does Everyone Want From Me?
Life as a teenager saw a move from New Jersey to Minnesota. I was an indifferent student and filled my days with work and projects of all sorts. In 1979 I moved to the University of Minnesota campus and slowly discovered that there might be more interesting questions than what everyone else expected. Thus began a twenty year quest to finish my BA in English while exploring a range of vocational flirtations. |
Question Three: How to Be Fully Capitalized?
In 1989 I began a twelve year odyssey leading a small business providing educational products to in-home family childcare providers. Partnering with my mother, Bev Greene, I was responsible for finance, operations, marketing, order fulfillment, human resources...the list goes on. At it's peak we employed twenty-five people and had sales over $1.5 Million. Meanwhile, I got married and had two children (oldest son Martin is the little guy on the right -- he's in his 30s now). It was stressful, consuming and an opportunity to learn so much about myself: strengths and weaknesses. |
Question Four: Why Is Learning So Hard?
In 2001 I switched gears and started a twelve year journey in the Roseville Area Schools. While I was there I taught English, led the theatre program and worked for a time in the Educational Development Center training new teachers and working on projects to improve teaching and learning. I discovered my own bias toward constructivist learning and developed an educational coaching style that emphasized questions and student-centered processes. It was a time spent banging hard against bureaucracy and inertia, but I developed a deep appreciation for students both on and off the stage. Eventually I determined that on stage learning better suited my passion and inclinations. |
Question Five: Why Is Theatre Worth It?
In 2013, I abandoned all that was safe and jumped into graduate school to get my MFA in Directing. That program has given me a stronger theoretical and practical understanding of an art form that brings me joy and drives my current inquiries. I believe that theatre has worth. It's not a particularly controversial notion; however, there are so many questions wrapped up in the broader question for which the answers are less evident. Armed with new skills and a commitment to pursue this craft to measure its worth, I anticipate spending a considerable amount of time in the next decade or so looking for an answer. Where and how I'll do this remains to be seen, but it promises to be an entertaining and engaging endeavor. |
My Blog
I write infrequently. When I do, it ends up on my blog so I can find it later. Feel free to check it out. A lot of what's there is related to traveling I have done at various times. |
Facebook
Well, you've read this far. If you want more random, personal details of my public life, you'll find it on Facebook. |