Lets get personal!
In the beginning there was a baby born in the Naval hospital in Norfolk Virginia with the name of Cecilia most formally known as Cece. They were soon relocated to Elizabeth City, North Carolina. They stayed in this state and earned their Bachelor's degree in Theatre Education at East Carolina University.
When Cece is not working behind a sound or light board or training for intimacy directing, they can be found working out, hanging out with family or friends, building legos, reading romance novels and crafting. Despite the fact that they spend a surplus of time binge watching all different types of media from anime to little house on the prairie,Cece loves the outdoors. They enjoy early morning hiking, swimming and picnicking.
Cece has a passionate heart for learning and knows how important and valuable it is to spread education.
This natural curiosity led Cece to attend ECU, which is exactly the institution in which they first learned about intimacy directing. This changed the trajectory of Cece’s entire career path. Instead of teaching in the classroom they felt a calling to change the theater industry itself. The truth of the matter is before learning about the practice of intimacy directing Cece did not believe drastic change was possible. Being a person of color and female presenting meant that the world saw Cece in a certain light that is never going to change. Cece accepted this but in doing so learned they can take control of their own narrative and can teach others to do the same.
DEEP Cece Lore
I started doing theatre in elementary school with the leading role of Rodolph in the Christmas show. I did not participate in theatre again until my high school career. However, I also dedicated my heart to every band program that was provided at my high school. I managed to juggle marching band, Jazz band, national honor society, Spanish club, symphonic band, and doing the school musical all 4 years. By senior year I was the president of the national honor society and the senior drum major in the band. After High school, I went to the College of The Albemarle and studied theatre under Gloria and Dr. Jeff Emmerich. I was able to navigate production schedules and work I was able to pay for all of my tuition with the money I earned working at a locale restaurant. After a year at COA, I transferred to ECU for the Theatre Education program. I want to teach because theatre is a beautiful collaborative art that I want to show the youth of America. I want to expand young minds on how to express themselves and how art shapes society. I am going to give them all the essential tools to enter the professional theatre world.
Teaching philosophy
Theater education is a pivotal connection to not only our own humanity, but more importantly to others .
I believe that theater is the bridge to other worlds not only culturally but to the people around us. This collaborative art forces any and all participants to look beyond one self. This idea is fought with the social notion that an actor is the star of the show and they are individually greatness. This idea really shields the true nature of theater from society, which then leads to the underdevelopment appreciation of the connections the art brings. I want to bring this idea that working with others will create something way beyond what an individual could ever achieve. I also think theater is beautiful because of how versatile it is throughout different cultures. You can always connect one aspect of a foren theater experience to domestic practice.
My goal as a theater educator will be to expand the students’ horizons with the world of performance art. I want to expose the youth to how theater is a wonderful medium to express their emotions and to learn more about themselves. I want to be a stepping stone in their theatrical journey. Even if they end up not going into the theatrical field, I hope to kindle an appreciation for live performances and carry the importance of theater into their life beyond school. I hope to bring more appreciation to the performing art form.
An effective way to teach the appreciation of theater will entail for me to show the creative process of technical and performative art. For example, I will break down the process of how a stage set is designed and then how to bring that set to reality. Then I would do the same for the other designing elements such as lighting, sound, props, costumes, and makeup. I will ensure the students are learning in this process by having them create their own sets, lighting, makeup, and costume look. I anticipate students will quickly learn how challenging it is to produce a show and that acting is not the only essential part of the theater. For example when I went to do observations at an elementary school. The instructor was doing an activity that involved how different colors of light create different moods and emotions. This activity translated well for the students because they were actively engaged in the moods of the colors. Additionally, one student was in charge of operating the lights which are essential to the hands-on learning approach. Expanding the students' understanding of what effort goes into making a show and then making them do the work themselves, in turn, will show appreciation to live theater. They will endure the hard work and be proud of the beautiful work they create.