I just returned from Sicily, where I happily ate my weight in pasta, swam in the Ionian Sea, and soaked in the sights—including the ancient Greek theatre in Taormina. Built in the third century B.C. to hold 10,000 spectators, the amphitheatre offers panoramic views of the sea and Mount Etna. Can you imagine being a young artist performing there for the first time, with that backdrop and crowd size?
Along with all the food, I devoured Sarah Ruhl’s Lessons from My Teachers: From Preschool to the Present. Inspired by her popular Yale course, the playwright’s latest book is a collection of essays that reflect on lessons learned inside and outside the classroom. The insights range from braving the stage and transforming grief into art to writing poems, picking blueberries, and identifying constellations. It’s a beautiful tribute to the enduring impact of the teacher-student relationship, highlighting mentors like Paula Vogel, Joyce Piven, and Tina Howe, as well as Ruhl’s student-turned-friend, Max Ritvo.
This Thursday, Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn is hosting Educator’s Night!, a special event for K–12 educators, librarians, and administrators to connect and discover classroom resources. Sarah Ruhl will also give a presentation from Lessons From My Teachers.
The book—and my trip to Italy with a few high school theatre friends—inspired me to reach out to one of my former teachers, whose lessons profoundly shaped both the direction of my life and the people who became part of it.
Also: Check out the latest episode of The Subtext podcast featuring Rachel Bublitz. She shares valuable lessons from her journey, including how a lazy high school theatre teacher sparked her interest in playwriting, and the impact of a wonderful mentor who encouraged her to pursue directing. There are always lessons to be learned!
Hats off to all the graduates this month! Whether you’re a teacher or a student, I encourage you to share the lessons you’ve learned from one another.
Around the Web
- Check out this story about the Harmony Project, which gifted Altadena music students new musical instruments.
- Love this video of Sara Bareilles talking about her experience at the inaugural Sara Bareilles Awards, the Northern California regional awards part of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards.
- It’s graduation season! Berklee College of Music presented Sara Bareilles with an honorary doctorate earlier this month.
- Boston Conservatory at Berklee presented Kelli O’Hara with an honorary doctorate, and she delivered a wonderful commencement speech.
- Here’s a great spotlight of a Florida magnet school and its recent production of Urinetown.
- Shaina Taub will be presented with the 2025 EdTA Founders’ Award at the International Thespian Festival next month.
- Bummer news about Colorado theatre students having to rally for their beloved theatre teacher, who was dismissed by the school board.
- Read about how a Georgia school board canceled a production of The Crucible after opening.
- Speaking of The Crucible, I loved this profile of Kimberly Belflower, the Georgia-based theatre educator and playwright behind Broadway’s John Proctor Is the Villain.
- ICYMI, check out this list of awards, including the College of Fellows of the American Theatre.
- Attention NYC high school grads! TDF is offering graduating seniors a free membership.
On Social Media
AT Readers Respond:
Susan Rome
I designed a new acting class at Hopkins University for medical students. The inaugural ensemble had their devised work presentation today, a piece about health information privacy called Broken Records. They were some of the most fearless, empathetic, and generous students I’ve ever worked with. It made me feel so honored to have been their professor this semester!
Jonathan Andujar
Currently doing Hadestown: Teen Edition, and we open tonight. That moment when everything clicks at the final dress rehearsal is beautiful. I remind the students that theatre magic isn’t some amorphous thing that shows up to save the show. It’s just them finally coming together as a community to make it all happen.
Rachel Snow Fornari
My teenagers chose to be late to their next class so they could finish the last few moments of Cyrano de Bergerac with Kevin Kline. They were literally glued in place and started flipping out when the bell rang and begged to stay. When teens want to watch classical theatre, it’s always a good day.
Lurana Donnels O’Malley
In a couple of weeks, I shall retire after 34 years teaching at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Yesterday in the undergrad directing class, two students showed scenes, and they both happened to pick essentially the same ground plan. But one was a comedy and one was very dark. I could see the students “getting” the difference between directing strategies for comedy versus more serious material.
From the Archives
Sarah Ruhl’s 2023 memorial tribute to her mentor, playwright Tina Howe, is well worth revisiting.
