Laurie

Certified Tutor

I am a graduate of California State University, Northridge and UCLA. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a focus on technical theatre and design. After graduation, I began working for Walt Disney Imagineering as a 'figure finisher,' working on the audio animatronic figures for EPCOT, Tokyo Disneyland and New Fantasyland at Disneyland in California. While I worked for Disney, I also worked toward a second BA degree in Art and Art History. Just before I left Disney, I started my Master's degree program in Theatre, followed immediately by my doctoral program, also in Theatre, at UCLA.
As part of my dissertation research, I studied in England and was offered a job after graduation in a secondary school in England. I went from there to teaching at one of the colleges of the University of London. When a position opened up at the College of William & Mary, which is where I currently work.
While I teach a broad range of subjects, I am most passionate about Theatre Literature, Playwriting, Feminist theory and how it relates to theatre and film studies. I love teaching these subjects and collaborating with students, seeing them making connections within the subjects. I am also lucky, I think, because my favorite topics to teach happen to be extremely fun. Where else do you get to watch a film like Shrek for a class and analyze it?! I especially enjoy working with writers -both academic and professional. I believe that editing the work of others helps maintain freshness in my own writing.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading and watching old films. I have three dogs and 5 birds, including an African Grey and a yellow-naped Amazon who keep me busy and, in the case of the Grey and the Amazon, speak more coherently than I do!