Kathryn Cuca, '11

Q. What made you interested in Theatre Education?
I owe my broad exposure to arts & culture to my east-coast schooling and draw much of my inspiration to pursue a career in the arts to the countless field trips and family outings to theatres, museums, galleries and exhibit spaces up and down the eastern seaboard.  Throughout middle school & high school, I participated in every arts program I could manage to find time for. And while my BA from Boston University indicates my knowledge of International Relations & Foreign Security Systems, I spent an equal amount of time (if not slightly more!) running Athena's Players, a student-led theatre group with a focus of highlighting female playwrights, women's issues, and raising money for local women's charities.

I was fortunate enough to balance my interests in foreign affairs and theatrics by working in the international clinical division at Merck & Co. during the day and by teaching drama classes in the evenings for the New Jersey Youth Theatre (NJYT). As the seasons clicked by, I spiritedly took on the responsibilty of teaching additional drama classes, freelanced by running theatre workshops and public speaking seminars, acted as Asst. Director to the Artistic Director of NJYT, and found myself in a classroom or in a rehearsal space with every free moment I had.

Q. What made you choose Emerson?
If the universe finally gave me the cue I needed, I walked right under the purple and gold Emerson banners while I was visiting Boston on a business trip! I headed back to my hotel room, did a little research online using Emerson's website, and scheduled a meeting with Bob Colby to discuss how a gal working for a huge pharmaceutical company could become a Theatre Education Master's candidate. After speaking with Bob, I felt an excitement and encouragement for the endless possibilities of Emerson's graduate program in Theatre Education. And ultimately, the flexibility that Emerson offers won me over.

Q. What do you plan to do with your Emerson degree?
I still have so many ideas and plans for my future, that I can't nail it down to one goal: I want to serve as a liaison for artists-in-residence for public schools & theatre companies; I want to program arts education for a museum gallery, professional theatre, or arts non-profit; I want to be in a classroom with children who are busting with energy to be stars; and I want use theatrical methods as a form of communcation in my community. I have relished the past year of my graduate studies at Emerson and I look forward to all of the adventure that this second and final year brings!