Hello Friends,
Our founder had the pleasure of going to graduate school with Alex at NYU. Since then, she’s been fortunate enough to participate in the Fresh Play Festival that Alex heads over at the MCC Theater.
He. Is. Absolutely. Awesome.
Check out our EXCLUSIVE Q&A with this theater dynamo –
TWT: Born in Toronto. Raised in Buenos Aires. Based in New York City. How much of your career has been influenced by such a global upbringing?
AS: I feel like everyone’s upbringing is unique and sets us apart from each other – regardless of our background or where we’re from. As an international student studying in the US, my situation forced me to have to find a way to stay in the country, and find a fulltime job that would sponsor my work visa. I was very fortunate that my diverse background made me a competitive candidate. On a personal level, my upbringing afforded me a very unique perspective: on the one hand, I was living, studying and working in New York, where the fields of arts and arts education are light years away from most other countries; and on the other, I was traveling to places where they barely existed. Witnessing this gap nurtured in me the need to bridge it – and as I met people through my travels, I built a network or artists, educators, supporters and advocates that would join me on this mission!
TWT: Can you explain to our readers what it was like to be invited to be a TEDx speaker?
AS: This opportunity was an indirect result of my need to bridge the gap I mentioned above. In 2003, when I decided that NYC was too saturated with arts education, I took a team of people down to Buenos Aires to collaborate with local artists in the creation of a bilingual, month-long partnership with an IB (International Baccalaureate) School. One of our main liaisons from the school in Buenos Aires went on to work for the IB all over Europe (and now in the US). In 2010, when he was approached to recommend speakers for the IB’s inaugural TEDx conference in Canada, I was amongst the 15-20 people on his list. The conference committee then led an extensive interview process, and I was lucky to have been picked. Once selected, the conference committee guided me in the process of writing and performing my speech – from tips, to suggestions, to Skype-based rehearsals. But nothing could have prepared me for the day of the conference. Not only was I amongst such an overwhelmingly inspiring group of speakers, but half of the conference attendees were current high school students from around the world, which made the need for spreading inspiring stories all the more urgent. It was very humbling to be amongst other speakers that are literally changing the world – and it was very empowering to feel supported by such an important organizational like the IB.
TWT: Can you explain to our readers a little bit more about your role as Director of Education at the MCC Theater?
AS: I would say my role at MCC is two-fold: 1) to continue managing the incredible programs I’ve inherited, such as the MCC Youth Company, the first and longest-operating youth ensemble of its kind in NYC, and 2) to strategically grow our programming as MCC undergoes a $25MM capital campaign to expand and move into our very own performing arts center in Midtown Manhattan. The latter, which I find terribly exciting, involves re-imagining and strengthening both the role of Education within MCC and the role of MCC in the larger community. Whether I’m overseeing the education department programmatically or financially, I’m extremely fortunate that I get to work with one of the best executive, marketing and development teams in NYC. In the past 3 years, our education department has almost tripled in capacity, a challenge which is only the result of superb team-work and organizational support!
TWT: Here at The Write Teacher(s), many of us work with “at-risk” youth. These students are recovering drug addicts, struggling drug addicts, teenage parents, and almost all of them come from broken homes. The struggles, demons, and anger that our students face is often a hindrance to their progress in school and life in general. Do you have any words of wisdom to offer these students?
AS: I have very strong feelings about defining youth (or anyone else, for that matter) as “at-risk” – but that’s for another time. Simply, my words of wisdom to anyone engaging in the arts, whether it be students, amateurs, or professionals is…“be brave”. In bravery and courage we find inherent growth, as well as good art-making. Asking for bravery empowers the individual to be at the center of overcoming his/her own challenge and, most importantly, it forces us (the ‘leaders’) to lose whatever agenda we think we have and become facilitators– accompanying, supporting, and protecting our young artists on their own journey.
TWT: In today’s economy, arts programs in schools are being cut. What reasons would you give a politician for preserving the arts?
AS: The answer to this question is easy (“stop cutting arts education funding” – and everyone I know can give excellent quantitative and qualitative evidence to support this) – but it’s really the wrong question to be asking. As practitioners, we cannot sit back and accept the situation around us. The US economy (the global one, for that matter) is changing drastically, and it’s affecting every sector financially, not just ours. Instead of knocking on the same doors that supported arts education for so long, we need to be pro-active about finding new ones. But as a field, arts education (and many others, mind you – it’s not just us) spends too much time mourning the loss of support that it has become its biggest obstacle in overcoming the current financial crisis. All that said, political lobbying is still very important – but the secret to surviving in this climate is diversifying our revenue sources. As non-profits, we need to be just as diligent when pursuing funding from the government, foundations, corporations and individuals.
TWT: Here at The Write Teacher(s), we believe that art drives life, and theatre transforms lives. Would you agree or disagree with those statements? Why?
AS: I whole-heartedly agree. I would also add that practicing an art form is the single, most powerful way for an individual to actively engage in both ‘creativity’ and ‘culture’ – a process that equally celebrates ‘heritage’ as well as ‘possibility’.
TWT: Just for fun, what’s your favorite movie and play?
AS: “Cinema Paradiso” and The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh
TWT: Just for fun, if you were to perform again, what role would you want to play?
AS: Claudius in Hamlet, Yvan in ART, or anything by Eric Bogosian.
TWT: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
AS: Patricio Gil-Mariño. He once caught a boy sleeping in his High School lit class and didn’t wake him. When asked why, he said that there are very few things more important than education, and “life” was one of them. He decided that clearly the boy needed to rest more than he needed to learn the particular lesson of the day.
Thank you, Alex!
Live, Love, Learn,