2010.03.04: Thailand RPCV Merissa Shunk has been with Adventure Stage Chicago since 2007 as the Director of Education
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2010.03.04: Thailand RPCV Merissa Shunk has been with Adventure Stage Chicago since 2007 as the Director of Education
Thailand RPCV Merissa Shunk has been with Adventure Stage Chicago since 2007 as the Director of Education
Before moving to Chicago she lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She is originally from sunny California where she studied theatre, taught theatre, and studied how to teach theatre at UCLA and Santa Clara University. She has freelanced as a curriculum writer and teaching artist for the Silk Road Theater Project, is the Fine Arts Curriculum Advisor at Rowe Elementary School, and has been a mentor (Drama Mama) in Redmoon Theater's Mentoring program, Drama Girls. In fall of 2008 she co-founded the Chicago Arts Educator Forum and also serves on the board of the Illinois Theatre Association.
Thailand RPCV Merissa Shunk has been with Adventure Stage Chicago since 2007 as the Director of Education
Adventure Stage Chicago Forms New Artistic Ensemble
Thursday, March 4, 2010; Posted: 12:03 PM - by BWW News Desk
As Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) prepares to end their sixth season with the Midwest premiere of the pirate musical The Ghosts of Treasure Island, ASC announces the formation of a new artistic ensemble.
The eleven-member ensemble is comprised of actors, designers, directors, stage managers, teaching artists and writers committed to achieving artistic excellence through long-term collaboration and the creation of original work. The ensemble will be directly involved in the proposal of new projects, script development, season selection and the production process. A number of ensemble members also work in classrooms as teaching artists, implementing the company's Neighborhood Bridges program in Chicago Public Schools. Additionally, ensemble members will serve as ambassadors for the company within the community, playing their part during outreach events at libraries, park districts, neighborhood street festivals and celebrations.
As a Chicago-based company, ASC believes our work must reflect the complexity and diversity of the community in which we live and create. ASC has a history of nurturing new work by talented playwrights from around the country. The creation of the ensemble re-focuses the development of new and original work to come from within the company, creating dynamic and transformative theatre experiences by Chicagoans for youth and families of Chicago. We will call upon our diverse backgrounds in physical theatre, movement, puppetry, mask, music and storytelling to explore universal stories and Chicago-centric adventures while investigating our collective understanding of community, family and identity.
[Excerpt]
MERISSA SHUNK has been with Adventure Stage Chicago since 2007 as the Director of Education. Before moving to Chicago she lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She is originally from sunny California where she studied theatre, taught theatre, and studied how to teach theatre at UCLA and Santa Clara University. She has freelanced as a curriculum writer and teaching artist for the Silk Road Theater Project, is the Fine Arts Curriculum Advisor at Rowe Elementary School, and has been a mentor (Drama Mama) in Redmoon Theater's Mentoring program, Drama Girls. In fall of 2008 she co-founded the Chicago Arts Educator Forum and also serves on the board of the Illinois Theatre Association.
Merissa joined Adventure Stage Chicago in the fall of 2007. From 2005-2007 she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she promoted student-centered learning methodologies, designed teacher trainings, coordinated English camps for Thai students, organized after-school drama programs, and facilitated a nation-wide Theater festival for Thai youth. Prior to that she worked for ArtsBridge America, a non-profit outreach program affiliated with UCLA where she mentored teaching artists. She was an instructor for UCLA High School Acting and Performance Institute, teaching movement, scene study, and directing student-created, original performance pieces for three years. She has freelanced as a curriculum writer and teaching artist for the Silk Road Theater Project, is the Fine Arts Curriculum Advisor at Rowe Elementary School, and has been as a mentor (Drama Mama) in Redmoon Theater's Mentoring program, Drama Girls. In fall of 2008 she co-founded the Chicago Arts Educator Forum which provides networking and professional development opportunities to Arts Educators, Teaching Artists and Arts Education Administrators. Merissa serves on the board of the Illinois Theatre Association as the Children's Theatre representative. Merissa has a BA in Theater and an MA in Theater Education from UCLA and K-12 Teaching Credentials from Santa Clara University.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: March, 2010; Peace Corps Thailand; Directory of Thailand RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Thailand RPCVs; Theatre
When this story was posted in March 2010, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers 
 | Memo to Incoming Director Williams
PCOL has asked five prominent RPCVs and Staff to write a memo on the most important issues facing the Peace Corps today. Issues raised include the independence of the Peace Corps, political appointments at the agency, revitalizing the five-year rule, lowering the ET rate, empowering volunteers, removing financial barriers to service, increasing the agency's budget, reducing costs, and making the Peace Corps bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Latest: Greetings from Director Williams |
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Story Source: Broadway World
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Thailand; Theatre
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