Cory Kennedy

Background

About Cory Kennedy

I strive to create work that centers the audience’s experience by asking them to suspend their disbelief and engage with the work. Through interactivity, immersion, and creative ingenuity, my work develops passionate curiosity. Music plays an integral role in my creative process. I not only see the work form as I collaborate with other artists, but I hear the cadence and rhythms written in the text I am working with. I strive to emulate the melody of a show within my direction and design. As a Theatre for Young Audiences artist, I’m interested in creating not just theatre for young audiences, but theatre that is accessible to the young and the young at heart- Teacher Statement: In my classroom, education is an adventure—a time of discovery and self-expression! I am passionate about creating an environment in which students can discover creative autonomy and express their interest in learning. I encourage my students to ask as many questions as they need to comprehend the material. The encouragement of verbal exploration also helps me develop lessons that meet each student at their level of learning. My form of teaching is unique due to its ever-changing nature. As our understanding of cognitive development and the theatre industry changes, so too does my approach to facilitation. Due to the breadth of material with which students engage, an accessible and ever-developing pedagogy is central to my practice as an educator. I strive to follow pedagogical research, stay active in industry discussions, and invite mindful practices in my classroom spaces. The theatre space is a brave space for students to engage with their core subject, learning in a new and active way. Teaching students to be brave means encouraging them to try new experiences within their theatrical education that challenge their thinking and expand their familiarity with the unknown. Vocabulary comes from script reading, lyrics, and context clues; history is told through storytelling; science is reflected in effects, lighting, and innovative design; math is reflected through geometric work as a set designer or technician.