CommunicatingScience
The Art of Connecting Across Difference
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Welcome to New Post-MFAs!
by carr1e Posted on September 8, 2019
Left to right: New post-MFAs William Goblirsch, Jordan Rosin, and Taylor Wood.
The Center for Communicating Science welcomes Taylor Wood, William Goblirsch, and Jordan Rosin, three new post-MFAs in the School of Performing Arts. Wood, Goblirsch, and Rosin will each join in the teaching of TA 2404, Introduction to Applied Collaborative Techniques (I-ACT), a Pathways course at Virginia Tech developed by Center for Communicating Science director Patty Raun.
Two of the first post-MFAs in the program, who taught I-ACT in previous semesters, have since gone on to hold other positions in the performing arts community. Brittney Harris is now Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Old Dominion University, while Daniel Bird Tobin is Instructor of Directing, Script Analysis and Performance here at Virginia Tech.
Wood comes to Virginia Tech from the University of Georgia, where she received her MFA in Acting. Wood's primary research focuses on creating theatre that "inspires and transforms."
Wood taught acting and devised theater at the University of Georgia, where she received an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. Wood's original show Glue premiered at the Moonlight Theater Company in Athens, Georgia. In addition, she has created work and performed with the Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Theater Memphis, and Playhouse on the Square. Her areas of expertise include devised and community-based theatre, listener training and nonviolent communication, and embodied learning.
Wood's emphasis on seeking to "boost group creativity, promote conflict resolution, and convey an understanding of humanity" will greatly benefit the TA 2404 students and Virginia Tech community.
Goblirsch received his MFA in acting from the University of Iowa and an MS in theatre at Portland State University. An actor with a focus on "the dynamic possibilities of the human body and voice," Goblirsch's research centers on how masculinity is portrayed in contemporary performance and the ways in which new work can shift those portrayals and societal definitions of masculinity.
Goblirsch has taught Introduction to Theatre at the Community College of Baltimore County and Acting at the University of Iowa. He studied Meisner with the Black Box Acting Studio in Chicago and Clown with Dodi DiSanto in Washington, D.C. He received the Obermann Center's Fellowship on Engagement and the Academy. Goblirsch's theatre and acting expertise combined with his teaching experience make him a great addition to the TA 2404 instructor team.
Rosin comes to us from Northern California, where he was a performance intern with the Dell'Arte Players. In that position, he performed and taught in prisons, schools, theatres, community centers, and rural communities. Rosin's MFA is from the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre.
Rosin co-founded and served as producing artistic director of The Ume Group, a New York City-based physical theatre ensemble. He frequently collaborates with Ren Gyo Soh, a butoh (Japanese dance theatre) company. His expertise and wide variety of experiences will be extremely valuable to the TA 2404 students.
In TA 2404, students use practice-based approaches to effective interpersonal and small group communication, interdisciplinary team creativity, audience connection, and innovation through improvisation. They gain important skills in situational awareness, listening, effective storytelling, team conflict resolution, non-verbal communication, and connecting across difference, all of which will help students to become effective collaborators.
Welcome Taylor, William, and Jordan!
By Lauren Holt, Center for Communicating Science student intern