Matthew S

Managing director of the theater,

Coffeyville Community College • Fulltime

Aug 2025 - Jul 2026 • 11 mos

I am a professional actor, director, and theatre educator with two graduate degrees and 13 years of experience in higher education. My background combines professional performance, stage direction, acting instruction, playwriting curriculum development, and theatre program leadership. I hold an MFA in Acting from the University of Idaho and an MA in Directing from Rhode Island College. My academic career includes serving as Managing Director of Theatre at Coffeyville Community College, Assistant Professor of Theatre at El Paso Community College, and theatre instructor at Naugatuck Valley Community College. As a director, I have worked across Shakespeare, American realism, contemporary comedy, and farce. My production experience includes Twelfth Night, All My Sons, God's Favorite, Unnecessary Farce, and Lend Me a Tenor. My work as an acting educator and director requires close examination of dramatic texts: character motivation, objectives, obstacles, relationships, subtext, dramatic action, dialogue, pacing, and structure. I have also developed college-level playwriting curriculum, connecting dramatic writing with revision, staging, and performance. I bring the combined perspective of an actor who understands character from the inside, a director who understands how a script functions onstage, and an educator who knows how to communicate constructive, actionable feedback. My goal is to help writers recognize the strengths of their work, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop scripts that are dramatically compelling and theatrically effective.

Theatre Instructor

El Paso Community College • Fulltime

Aug 2014 - May 2019 • 4 yrs 9 mos

As Assistant Professor of Theatre at El Paso Community College, I combined professional experience in acting, directing, dramatic literature, and theatrical production with college-level teaching and curriculum development. My work focused on helping students understand dramatic storytelling from the perspectives of both the actor and the director. This included in-depth examination of character development, motivation, objectives, obstacles, relationships, subtext, dialogue, pacing, dramatic structure, and thematic interpretation. My theatrical experience spans classical and contemporary drama, Shakespeare, American realism, comedy, and farce. I have directed productions including Twelfth Night, All My Sons, God's Favorite, Unnecessary Farce, and Lend Me a Tenor. My teaching and directing practice has also involved playwriting, dramatic analysis, acting technique, and the relationship between the written script and its eventual performance. I approach scripts by examining not only what happens in a story, but why it happens. What motivates the characters? What are they trying to accomplish? What stands in their way? How do dialogue, action, pacing, and subtext work together to create compelling drama? My background also informs my appreciation of storytelling in film and onstage. I bring the perspective of a working actor, an experienced director, and an educator who understands how to communicate thoughtful, constructive, and actionable feedback. My goal is to help writers recognize what is already working in their scripts, identify opportunities for development, and strengthen their storytelling without losing their individual artistic voice.