Matthew R Kerns

I have acted and directed professionally across the nation. My work has been featured at International Fringe Festivals, Chicago theaters, Regional Playhouses, and at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. My original work, a late night theatrical event surrounding the last days of Harvey Milk and the first days of the HIV/ AIDS Crisis, won the St Louis Fringe Festival in 2014. As a facilitator I gravitate to works that surround historical events and explore “hot button” issues. I create multi-media events. As a performer, I have been featured in local, regional and national commercials, independent films, and on the stage.

I have been an arts educator for sixteen years. As the Chair of the theatredepartment at The Chicago Academy for the Arts High School I createda generalist theatre program that grew to become the largest departmentin the school. I taught Public Speaking and Critical Thinking for theSchool of Communications at Loyola University Chicago and I was theDirector of Theatre at Sonoma Academy where I developed a musicaltheatre track. At both CAA and SA I produced and directed a full seasonof productions annually. I have taught community arts trainingtechniques that include documentary style theatre, improvisationaltheatre, site-specific work, corporate team building, and originalcomposition. I have also taught foundational acting techniques,advanced studies and classical acting styles.

I am a contemplative educator infusing learning with the experience ofawareness, insight and compassion for oneself and others. I explored thisstyle of teaching while studying for my MFA in ContemporaryPerformance at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Theatre, forme, is experiential and psychophysical. My training is heavily rooted in theories of Stanislavsky, Meisner, and Growtowski. I developmovement through the lenses of Improvisation, Somatic Dance andMary Overly’s Viewpoints. When I direct site-specific and immersiveevents I use the tools from my training with the Tectonic Theater Project.

As Artistic Director I work with volunteers daily. I develop artistic partnerships with local organizations, community businesses, andlocal and national industries. In my leadership role at WCP I strived tomake compelling artistic works with and for the community fosteringmutual respect, open hearts, and a safe and nurturing space to explore.I have spoken atthe NAIS national conference, been the key note speaker at the NationalWri