Erin Maxon

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT TEAM-MEMBER/MENTOR TEACHING ARTIST

2017 – present, Part Time

Lincoln Center Theater, New York, NY

Developed "Julius Caesar" curriculum to be taught at 28 middle and high schools throughout NYC-area.  Helped train Teaching Artists in the new curriculum.  

Served as Mentor Teaching Artist to a new theater teacher as a part of the Arthur Miller Fellowship Program.  Worked with the teacher to create a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in a high school special needs classroom. 

http://www.lct.org

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EDUCATION DIRECTOR

2015 – present, Part Time

The New Collectives, Brooklyn, NY​

Head the education division of The New Collectives theater company.  Oversee Young Collectives education and outreach program, including curriculum oversight, hiring, and marketing for Shakespeare camps and in-school programming. Create and facilitate professional development training sessions for in-house teaching artists and larger community. Presented "Positive Behavior Management for Teaching Artists" sessions at the Arts in Education Roundtable's 2017 Face to Face conference.  Originated TYC Scholarship program for summer 2016.  

http://www.thenewcollectives.com/education--outreach.html

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FREELANCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR AND CONSULTANT

2010 – present

​Various Corporations, Schools and Community Organizations in California, New York, and Internationally

Facilitate professional development sessions with arts and community organizations.  Use theatrical activities in corporate team-building and training events.   Coach educators and support workers in tools for facilitating arts workshops, positive behavior management techniques, and the use of arts in achieving social and educational goals.  Have worked with Jacob Burns Film Center, Word for Word Performing Arts Company, Casa Allegra Community Services, Firehouse Arts Collective, Bow School for Boys (England), and Ogawa Middle School (Japan).

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DRAMA AND ART TEACHER

2010 - 2015
Ring Mountain Day School, Mill Valley, Ca

Designed and implemented art and drama curricula for kindergarten through eighth grade students, meeting their various developmental and learning needs.  Directed yearly school play featuring all grades as actors, technical staff, and designers.  Integrated arts into core classes through direct collaboration with teachers and administration.  Implemented Responsive Classroom and Harkness Method in line with school philosophy.  www.ringmountain.org

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL DRAMA TEACHER

2014 - 2015
San Francisco Day School, San Francisco, Ca

Taught an original drama course that embraces a high creative risk, low personal risk approach.  Students learned acting techniques while honing their confidence and ensemble skills.  Directed twice-yearly performance event in collaboration with other performing arts subjects.

www.sfds.net

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EDUCATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR

2013, Interim Position
Word for Word Youth Arts, Z Space. San Francisco, Ca

Administered the Youth Arts program of professional performing arts company, Word for Word. Hired and trained teaching artists. Led professional development programming in positive behavior management, coordinated yearly budget, aided development team in grant applications, and served as public face for Youth Arts. This position was interim coverage of the coordinator's maternity leave.  http://www.zspace.org/youtharts

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TEACHING ARTIST

2009 – 2015
Word for Word Youth Arts, Z Space Studio. San Francisco, Ca

Liaised with non-profit theatre company, schools, and classroom teachers to offer literacy-building theatre programming.  Specialized in creating curriculum for special needs classrooms.  Taught drama games, investigative literary analysis, and collaborative theatrical staging to turn short stories and poems into theatre pieces. Engaged students visually, aurally, and kinaesthetically with the texts to build skills for ʻunpackingʼ literature.

 

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER

2011 – 2014
Act Out Science.  San Francisco, Ca

Created an organization that uses theatre as a tool to make science come to life.  We offered professional development workshops, children’s camps, and in-school outreach programming.  Actoutscience.tumblr.com



OUTREACH SCIENCE PRESENTER/EDUCATOR

2007 – 2013
Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Ca

Trained volunteers and liaised with school staff to deliver science assemblies, festivals, and theatre shows to elementary, middle, and high schools all over California.  Taught small groups of children (age 4 to 8) in classroom and camp settings, and taught science and maths concepts to large groups of up to 400, aged 6 to 60.  Developed new science shows and festivals, and revamped older programs with an emphasis on the scientific process. Trained and oversaw teaching assistants and interns.  lawrencehallofscience.org/education/programs

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“AT RISK YOUTH” CURRICULUM CO-CREATOR, ARTS EDUCATOR

2010 – 2011
Fremont High School, Oakland Unified, Oakland, Ca

Worked with English teacher, Julia Daniels, to create original theatre curriculum to further literacy building in her classroom.  Engaged in eight week residency in 9th and 11th grade classrooms, culminating in art projects and performances.

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VETERANS LIAISON, PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR, AND LEAD FACILITATOR

​May 2010 – Nov. 2010

Theatre Témoin, London and Santa Cruz, Ca

Designed and implemented drama and devising workshop series for Bay Area and Santa Cruz veterans. Marketed the program to veterans centers and individuals; partnering with local gallery space and venues to hold workshops and stage touring show. www.theatretemoin.com​

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INCLUSIVE THEATRE EDUCATOR AND ACCESS SUPPORT WORKER

2010
Peckham Shed Inclusive Theatre, London, UK

Served children age 7 to 11, leading theatre activities accessible to people of all abilities and levels of experience. I used beginning Makaton Sign Language in workshops and inclusive teaching techniques championed by Chicken Shed Theatre Company.  

https://www.step-partnership.co.uk/peckham-shed

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PROGRAM LIAISON AND CHOMP! PROJECT MANAGER

2009 – 2010
Action for Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL), St. Mary’s Centre, Ladywell, London

Spearheaded a project whereby applied drama facilitators from Goldsmiths College lead drama workshops with young refugees (4 to 11) and adult English learners at a local charity. Awarded Goldsmiths Fund for the cross-arts project, “Chomp!” that used drama, photography, and food to explore ideas of “healthy” eating with AFRIL refugees and asylum seekers. www.afril.org.uk
 

CREATIVE INTERPRETER/ BLOG DESIGNER

Feb. 2010 – Oct. 2010
The National Trust, Wandsworth, London

Supported youth arts projects in association with a new National Trust site, Khadambi Asalache’s House, as part of the Cultural Olympiad scheme leading up to the 2012 Olympics.  Worked to help the public navigate their experience with the house by creating public events, making a blog for the project, coordinating poetry and sound design workshops with local groups (14 to 17 year old boys and 16 to 24 year old college students), and finding community connections to the space before it opened to the general public in 2011. www.nationaltrust.org.uk

 

ENGLISH AND ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DRAMA TEACHER

2006 – 2007
JET Programme and Tenryu Mura Board of Education. Tenryu and Urugi Villages, Japan

Developed original curriculum for teaching primary school first-time English learners (age 4 to 11), focusing on drama games and activities, including staging of original play production, “Bad Fruit.” Team-taught English language courses for ages 11 to 15.  Acted as consultant in founding and training teachers for neighbouring village’s high school level English-language acting course. Also taught adult (age 40 to 80) English language courses in free community course. www.jetprogramme.org