James Crawford Cv 2016
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JAMES CRAWFORD AEA SAG-AFTRA Division of Theatre 7045 Southridge Drive Meadows School of the Arts Dallas, Texas 75214 Southern Methodist University [email protected] PO Box 750356 214-868-6691 Dallas, Texas, 75275 214-768-3649 January 11, 2016 TEACHING EXPERIENCE: SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY, MEADOWS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, Dallas Head of Acting, April 2012- present • Facilitated curriculum review retreat with Evan Yionoulis of the Yale School of Drama. • Taught Dramatic Arts Today, course for first-year theatre students in the BFA program that introduces students to artistic critical thinking and the foundation of an acting process. Course includes Stanislavski’s An Actor Prepares, Peter Brook’s The Empty Space, Meisner on Acting, action exercises, text analysis, monologue work and introductory process-oriented scene study focused on contemporary American plays. • Taught courses in Advanced Acting and Improvisation for third year MFA students, tackling scenework from Chekhov, Tennessee Williams and non-realistic plays. • Taught The Art of Acting for non-theatre majors at the SMU Taos Campus. • Re-launched the New York City MFA Actor showcase to great success. We partnered with UNC Chapel Hill, cut the budget in half, and quadrupled the professional response. • Oversaw monthly acting faculty meetings, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Reconfigured the content and sequence of courses to better integrate the training we provide. • Tended to the ongoing relationship with the Dallas Theater Center, including making sure that our MFA actors are given appropriate professional opportunities on stage. • Instituted new procedures for recruiting MFA Actors, putting new emphasis on proactive outreach to dozens of universities in our own region, in addition to national URTA auditions. • Hosted workshops for students with successful alumni, such as Kimberly Grigsby, Brian Baumgartner, Wrenn Schmidt, Virginia Kull, Cornelius Smith and Annalee Jefferies. • Re-examined policies regarding study abroad. Made it possible for interested Acting Track undergraduates to spend a semester at accredited international universities. • Coordinated creation of an online Showcase for BFA acting students. • Chaired the Casting Committee, charged with coordinating the casting for every semester, juggling the needs of the productions with educational opportunities for dozens of students. • Facilitated workshops and auditions with artistic directors, agents and casting directors from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and across the country. • Reviewed the tenure files of two colleagues as a member of the Promotion and Tenure committee within the division of theatre. • Reviewed the work of a music professor at SMU and contributed letters to tenure files of theatre professors at TCU, UNC Greensboro and the University of Connecticut. • Coordinated Voice and Movement coaching assignments for SMU productions. • Directed a mainstage production of Wallace Shawn’s Aunt Dan & Lemon. • Directed a mainstage production of Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine. TEACHING EXPERIENCE (continued): James Crawford 1/11/16 Head of BFA Recruiting, SMU, April 2013- present • Planned and executed a nationwide strategy to recruit BFA students for the Acting and Theatre Studies programs. • Auditioned and interviewed hundreds of students on campus and at regional Thespian conferences and national “Unified” auditions. • Lead workshops and information sessions on behalf of the theatre program at SMU. • Managed the budget and coordinated the efforts of members of the recruiting team. • Increased outreach to outstanding students at local community colleges as transfer students. Associate Professor, SMU, May 2010- present • Chaired Search Committee for an assistant professor, specializing in teaching acting. Search resulted in two successful new hires. • Taught Business & Professional Aspect course to seniors and third year MFA Acting students. Reconceived the course, and arranged for visits and workshops from agents and casting directors from New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas. • Coordinated the creation of a new website with Meadows to replace the outdated showcase model to help the graduating MFA students launch their professional careers. • Directed a mainstage production of Moliere’s The Miser, adaptation by James Magruder. • Directed a mainstage production of The Secretaries by the Five Lesbian Brothers. • Committee member charged with brainstorming and implementing a new interdisciplinary First-year Arts Community Experience (FACE) curriculum. • Committee member charged with re-envisioning the University Honors curriculum. Assistant Professor, SMU, August 2004-May 2010 • Taught Dramatic Arts Today, course for first-year theatre students in the BFA program that introduces students to artistic critical thinking and the foundation of an acting process. Course includes Stanislavski’s An Actor Prepares, Peter Brook’s The Empty Space, Meisner on Acting, action exercises, text analysis, monologue work and introductory process-oriented scene study focused on contemporary American plays. • Taught Acting 3 and 4 to BFA juniors, focusing on Williams, Miller, Ibsen, Chekhov and more stylized work, such as Pinter, Ionesco and Suzan-Lori Parks. • Directed mainstage production of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, for which student designers won Best Costume Design in the regional ACTF competition, and finalist for Best Scenic Design in the national competition at the Kennedy Center. • Directed mainstage production of Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest. • Directed studio production of Caryl Churchill’s Three More Sleepless Nights. • Chaired first-year curriculum review committee meetings. • Faculty advisor to student theatre organization, SMUST. • Advisor to graduate students teaching undergraduate classes. • Member of the Undergraduate Recruitment committee: Recruited, auditioned and interviewed hundreds of students for the BFA program in Dallas and around the country. • Member of the three-person Casting committee, responsible for balancing the desires of directors with the educational needs of more than one hundred students. • Member of additional committees within the division of theatre: Season Selection, Graduate Recruitment and Divisional Self Study, in preparation of the re-accreditation of the division. • Member of school-wide committees: the Dean’s faculty advisory board, and the committee responsibility for awarding money for exploratory and artistic grant proposals. TEACHING EXPERIENCE (continued): James Crawford 1/11/16 Assistant Professor, SMU (continued) • Coached students for professional and graduate school auditions. • Hosted question-and-answer sessions with guests from the Dallas Theater Center. • Partnered with Big Thought, Dallas educational outreach program. Guided students through the creation of interactive performance pieces designed to engage middle school students. • Lead discussions of the “Common Reading” books with incoming first year undergrads. • Covered classes of senior BFA Shakespeare class while the professor was away for several weeks. Adjunct Instructor, Guest Artist, SMU, August 2001-2004 • Taught Acting 1 and Acting 2 to sophomores in the BFA program. Course included David Ball’s Backwards and Forwards, Stanislavski, intensive scene study work on classic mid-twentieth century American plays, including Williams and Shepard. • Directed mainstage production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia. • Led sophomore team meetings in end-of-semester student evaluation process. Visiting Professor of Voice, SMU, August 2000- May 2001 • Taught Voice 1 and Voice 2 to sophomores in the BFA program. Course included Linklater relaxation work, monologue work, and covered Patsy Rodenburg’s The Right to Speak, highlighted by a visit from Ms. Rodenburg. • Vocal coached graduate and undergraduate students in The Merchant of Venice, directed by Michael Connolly, and student-directed productions. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, Denton, TX Adjunct Instructor, August 2002-May 2003 • Taught Voice for the Actor, including Rodenburg, Linklater and monologue work. • Taught Performance 1 and Performance 2, including Robert Cohen’s Acting One, action exercises, partner improvisations, monologue and scene study work. MUHLENBERG COLLEGE, Allentown, PA Artist-in-Residence and Adjunct Instructor, January 1997-May 1998 • Taught Acting Process course, including action exercises, text analysis, and scene study. • Directed mainstage production of Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls. • Created role in original, collaborative production, The Kafka Project, which was subsequently transferred to New York City’s Ohio Theatre and ACTF. • Mentored students in collaborative, improvisational method of working. International Thespian Conference, Lincoln, NE, June 2005, 2006 • Taught workshop to prospective students, Stanislavski through Improvisation Present Image, Dallas, Workshop Leader, 2002 • Coached professional salespeople in public speaking skills. TEACHING EXPERIENCE (continued): James Crawford 1/11/16 KD Studio, Actors Conservatory, Dallas, January 1999-May 2000 • Taught courses in Shakespeare, Voice, Beginning Acting and Advanced Acting. • Redesigned school-wide curriculum for Beginning Acting courses. • Directed showcase of graduating students for local agents and casting directors. American College Theatre Festival, Muhlenberg College, SUNY Buffalo, 1997, 1998 • Created workshops: Voice and the Classical Text, Discovering Shakespeare • Appeared alongside students in finalist