Teaching Philosophy

It's interesting to try and compose my teaching philosophy for you here because there can't, of course, be one method that fits all students. Therein lies my philosophy! My work is learner centered, framed by an effort to make each student as marketable as possible.

It's a thrill to support students as they explore their individual interests, and it's a win-win situation, too. The student who follows her impulses learns both from her triumphs and from her stubbed toes along the way, and her colleagues can learn from her experience as well. This focused learning leads to shared collaboration and greater growth for all involved.

At the same time, there are fundamentals that are essential in each area, and our growing expertise with these basics provides a stronger platform for individual success. With this in mind, my goal is to set very high standards and expectations for all students, and then provide the tools that help them achieve these goals. The progress or growth, of course, is up to each individual, but that's half the fun, isn't it!

If you're considering graduate or undergraduate training here at UCI or elsewhere, please let me offer the following pointers:

• Travel: Theater artists, like all other artists, explore aspects of the world that's around us all. It's impossible to do this if we're viewing the world from an isolated place. See as much of your nation and the world as possible. In an ever-shrinking world, our knowledge of the cultures, aesthetics, and thinking of peoples across the globe is becoming even more essential.
  
• Art is Activism: The work that you create will have a point of view, whether you're conscious of this or not. By choosing to be aware, to live with awareness, we can be more purposeful in our art. Bit by bit you can make a difference in the world!
  
• Distinguish Yourself With Top Professionalism: There are lots of inventive theater artists out there, so who are the ones you'd want to hire? The ones who deliver! While working on your creativity, give equal attention to specificity in your choices, accuracy in your detail, consistency in your follow-through, and punctuality in your timeliness. You'll be the one others will want to hire again and again!

I hope these pointers may be helpful for you. They sound simple, but they can be the keys to your success!

It's been interesting to learn that in India, when artists become masters in their professions, it's expected that they will return to the academy and pass their skills on to the next generation. This is, in many ways, what is happening at UCI. We're proud to have a faculty made up of advanced artists who bring their years of professional experience to the classroom daily. I look forward to sharing more of my experience with you!

Find out more about Cliff:

:: Brief Bio
:: Welcome and Intro
:: Resume
:: Production History
:: Teaching Philosophy
:: More Recent Activity