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Alumni Profiles
Denmo Ibrahim
 As a graduate of the Lecoq-Based MFA training offered at Naropa, I am continually amazed at how often I pull from those years of intensive study. I was very excited to undergo what I considered an advanced form of theatre and creation. It was very clear from those I knew who had studied this well crafted pedagogy that they had internally developed a matrix of understanding when creating, performing, leading the way in a process, that was infused with a creative truth.
The Actor develops as performer, the Creator uncovers their inspiration. The training of the actor provides one with the tools necessary to analyze a script,
to make bold choices onstage. An Actor Creator can
wear the hat of performer, writer, director, and joker, all at once. Though the process of how this occurs will always vary with each ensemble, there is a dynamism to the Actor Creator, a physical investigation of 'what is it, really' . In my experience, the Actor waits for instruction whereas the Actor Creator proposes again and again finding new avenues to translate experience.
mugwumpin, a San Francisco based company I co-founded with fellow graduates Christopher White and Joseph Estlack, has become a platform for me to explore life as it is - the first year concentration - with what else it might be, as we experimented in the second year. Because of this visceral way of learning theatre, it informs not only my life as a performer, writer, and director. Unexpectedly, it has affected the way I interact, collaborate, and view the mundane, ordinary world as vivid, mystical, and multi-layered.
Jason Burnstein
 In Naropa's Lecoq Based Physical Theater Program I have found the perfect learning environment. I am constantly challenged to explore and take risks. The faculty encourages us to let go of our fears and allow our bodies and natural intuitions to take over. Although it is very frustrating and difficult at times, the training has given me great confidence that over time I will have developed the necessary tools to create the theatre I dream of being a part of. The program does not offer any easy answers, but it does set your mind and body in motion and I trust that I will continuously be building upon the knowledge that I have gained from it.
In the future I hope to continue to create theatre that is appealing to a younger generation and captures a similar spirit and excitement as rock concerts and sporting events. I want to present audiences with an innovative approach to theatre that creates a community event where they become fully engaged in the energy of the show and find themselves cheering loudly, laughing hysterically, contemplating deeply.
Markell Kiefer
 Before attending Naropa I received a BA from Middlebury College and trained for two years at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City. I went on to work with several production companies, including The Children's Theatre in Minneapolis. I also produced much of my own work, such as The Buddha Prince, a biography of the Dalai Lama.
My experience with the MFA at Naropa has been absolutely exquisite! I never expected to learn as much as I did. It not only trained me further as an actress, but most importantly, as a creator of theatre. Now, I continue where I left off, only with tools I never knew existed. And I am blessed with brilliant peers, my fellow collaborators. I aspire to follow my heart, to understand what inspires me, and create from there.
Jin-Hee Chung
 I was born and raised in South Korea. I came to the United States in 1998 to study and perform. My passion for theater led me many places including Texas University and California University. I recently earned an MFA in Actor Created Physical Theater. After two years of rigorous study in the program, I discovered that in addition to acting I was graced with talents ranging from costume and set design to directing.
On stage I have done both Shakespeare and avant-garde original ensemble work. In 1999 I took top billing in the national Drug Association production of "Not Here." I have been in a score of TV commercials including Texas Lottery and film credits include "Universal Solider II" and "The Landscape.”
Currently my passion is in creating live theater that combines melodrama with visual arts. My most recent work combines documentary filmmaking with postmodern theater, and elaborately designed handmade shadow puppets with live music.
Noelle Houssney
 I have always had a yearning to create a refreshing new theatre that goes outside the stagnant conventions of American theatre. My career as an actor-creator began by putting on shows and circus acts with my brothers to entertain family guests. Since then, I have expanded my range of venues from private living rooms to theatres, churches and streets in three continents. In 1999, I began performing my first one-woman play, 'Wings of Refuge,’ which I compiled from interviews I took from refugees in Kosovo. As a founding member of SetupArt Theatre, I have worn many hats, including artistic and technical director, writer and actor.
Even though I have made many attempts to express my ideas through performance, I have lacked the skills necessary to fully articulate my vision. The training I have received at Naropa has provided the missing link. It has been a means, not an end. It has provided the provocation for imagination, creativity and discovery. It has equipped me with tools which make it possible to create. Those with an appetite for creating new theatre will benefit highly from the Lecoq-based training offered through Naropa.
See also:
Theater Companies
Alumni Work – http://lispaalumni.blogspot.com
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