TEACHING
I believe in theater education that celebrates the courage to go before you’re ready and the curiosity to learn from big mistakes.
At it’s very best, I believe that acting gives students opportunities to explore the boundaries of their own expansive self so that they may become more generous and openminded community members.
I am excited to devise curriculum that is dynamic, playful, and student-driven. I am committed to challenging the material we bring into the classroom through conversations about white supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy, and ableism in our canon.
Classes, Workshops, and Productions
MEN ON BOATS
As an undergraduate at UNC Chapel Hill, I worked with a graduate of the Brown/Trinity MFA program on the very first production in memory of UNC student and RI resident Lillian Chason. In 2023, I returned to UNC to direct the tenth Lillian Chason production: Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus.
This opportunity was made possible by Eric, Cate, and Lillian Chason, Dave Navalinksy, and Talya Klein.
Thank you.
MEN ON BOATS by Jaclyn Backhaus // Directed by Cas Koenig // Set Design by Glorianna Tarlton // Costume Design by Rachel Kripner // Lighting Design by Quinn Vanischak // Sound Design by Noah Powell // Props by Alex Woo // Photos by Colin Huth
Cooper Street Writing Workshop
Intro to Playwrighting
A four-hour workshop class for Rutgers students and Camden community members designed to give writers of other disciplines a taste of writing for theater. Students practiced skills for composing engaging dialogue, discovering distinctive character voices, and writing theatrical gestures and stage directions to create moments onstage when words fail.
Middle School Classes and Workshops
I was a regular guest teaching artist at People’s Light from 2024-2025. Here are some of the classes and programs I worked on!
Worldbuilders
Ages 9-14
A three-week summer program in which students collaborated to make an original play. Students took classes on improvisation, physical devising, playwriting, and then rehearsed and performed their piece.
Improvapalooza
Ages 11-14
Eight weeks of Saturday classes in which students got real silly! An exploration of improv games, clown techniques, and devising practice that culminated in an improvised performance.
ACC Workshops
Ages 11-16
One-hour guest teaching in classrooms to prepare students before they attended performances of A Christmas Carol at People’s Light. Students engaged with key themes in the story and talked about theater magic!