TEACHING
"Everyone has a voice. Everyone has a voice that matters."
Stephanie has taught acting to children, teens and adults for nearly two decades. Ensuring that artists of all ages have a safe, fun, supportive and exciting environment to work in, her goal is to provide exemplary acting training while instilling a sense of agency in artists.
Photo by Hanna Wolf
A sought-after acting coach, Stephanie specializes in preparing students for their post-secondary theatre program auditions. By working with voice, body, text and imagination, students are led to trust their instincts, find their artistic voices and craft grounded, authentic performances.
Her students have been accepted to Toronto Metropolitan University, George Brown College, Sheridan College, Randolph College for the Performing Arts, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and more.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie developed and launched several innovative digital theatre programs, including group acting classes for young people, acting workshops for adults, musical theatre performance, and collective creation processes.
Stephanie is the head of the Theatre Department at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, where she has developed programming for students of all ages. She is also a co-founder of The Actor's Forge, a training collective for theatre artists based in Hamilton, Ontario.
Additionally, Stephanie offers in-person and virtual workshops for students and corporate groups, leading participants through exercises to build confidence and collaborative skills, enhance creative thinking and develop empathy and artistry.
TESTIMONIALS
Stephanie worked with me to ensure that I was confident going into my college auditions. By helping with monologue selection and directing me to plays/authors that would both compliment my strengths and challenge my weaknesses, she guaranteed that I would grow not only my artistic capabilities, but the amount of faith I have in myself.
- Abigail S.
Photo by Hanna Wolf
I love Stephanie's teaching style because she honours where you're at in every class. She creates a space where students can feel safe to try something new without the fear of being judged. Stephanie's classes keep me coming back time and time again not only for her expertise in coaching of scene studies, monologues, or improvisational skills (to name a few), but especially because she challenges you to dig deeper with every exercise and performance. Instead of telling you how to act, she asks you questions that help you to reflect and arrive at a place where you as the actor can make sound choices and specific intentions. She's such an inspiration as a teacher, actor, and human being, and being her student has been such an honour (and not to mention, a lot of fun)!
- Manisha M.
Stephanie has been a true inspiration to many young artists including my daughter. My daughter started pursuing singing, dancing, and acting at age 6. What started as an interest, has now become a passion for the arts and motivation to grow in the area of musical theatre. Stephanie has ignited this burning passion and has helped my daughter nurture her talents, gain confidence, and build relationships with other children with similar interests. At age 11, my daughter looks forward to following her dreams in acting and helping others develop their artistic talents just as Stephanie helped her.
- Sofia, parent