Lucy Kania
Educator, Writer, & Theatre Artist
About Me
Versatile educator and artist with a demonstrated history of effective leadership and academic excellence, a passion for building community, and a lifelong love of telling stories.
I have a BA in Drama from Tufts University, where I graduated summa cum laude in 2017. While at Tufts, I participated in 17 theatrical productions as a performer, costume designer, assistant director, or dramaturg. During both my junior and senior years at Tufts, I served as President of Torn Ticket II, an entirely student-run musical theatre company. I also minored in English, with a focus on 19th Century women novelists (Jane Austen is my all time favorite) and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior.
After graduating from Tufts, I received a yearlong Performing Arts Teaching Fellowship, with a specialization in costume design, at the Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, MA, and spent a year in Los Angeles, working as a wardrobe production assistant for film and television, before returning to Boston to pursue my graduate degree in Theatre Education at Emerson College.
While at Emerson, I worked in the Emerson Stage costume shop, assistant directed an Emerson Stage production, and earned my Massachusetts Teaching License in K-12 Theatre while Student Teaching at Wellesley High School. I completed my MA in 2021, and went on to earn my MFA from the same program in 2022. I wrote my MFA thesis on the role of fat-phobia in educational theatre, part of which was published as "'Not the Leading Role of Life': Fatphobia in Educational Theatre and Its Impact on Larger-Bodied Adolescent Girls," ArtsPraxis Vol. 9, Issue 1, June 2022.
Currently, I work as a 6th Grade Drama Teacher, Drama Program Director, and Instructional Aide at Charles E. Brown Middle School in Newton, MA.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
every student is a storyteller.
I believe that students are scholars, artists, and innovators in their own right, capable of complex and original thought and boundless creativity. I set out to challenge and engage students of all interest and ability levels, setting clear expectations that empower students to live up to their fullest potential.
I also believe in leading with empathy, and in treating students as individuals, with distinct learning styles and social-emotional backgrounds that inform their experiences and needs in the classroom. I find that students do their best work when they are both challenged and supported, and my curriculum embraces all types of intelligence, encouraging each student to find their strengths and to celebrate their individuality.
I set out to create community in every classroom and rehearsal room, building an atmosphere of trust, mutual respect, and fun. I am passionate about equity and social justice, and I aim to make my classrooms anti-racist, feminist, and queer and trans-affirming spaces, where all students feel safe to be themselves and make their voices heard. I believe that good stories can create change -- and that change starts in the classroom, where students first encounter experiences different from their own, and begin to find their own voices and tell their own stories. My hope is that every student leaves my class with a greater appreciation of their own strengths, and with new confidence in their capacity for creativity and self-expression.
"You always approached everything with positivity, which made rehearsals so enjoyable and helped to create an inclusive environment."
- Brown Middle School 8th Grader
Student testimonials
"She has such a great eye for the little things that put the show together and, of course, the big elements she put so much time into helping us perfect."
- Brown Middle School 8th Grader
"I liked that she had lesson plans throughly... and was knowledgeable about it. She was really respectful and kind to everyone."
- Wellesley High School Senior
"Best class ever!!!"
- Brown Middle School 6th Grader
