Philosophy
Teaching, for me, is about assisting students in unearthing the creativity that lies within them and unlocking their inherent power to devise and produce theatrical works. My style of teaching is one of coaching, nudging, listening, responding, challenging and encouraging a student to grow and become an extraordinary theatre creator as well as a more self-aware and compassionate human being.
The theatre arts is a place in which the work we create can shed a lens on ourselves and the complexities and injustices of the world. In the classroom and rehearsal hall, I strive to investigate the power of theatre in affecting social change and personal transformation. I engage the students in creating an inclusivity agreement and endorsing consent-based practices.
I am a professor of Theatre at Davidson College (outside of Charlotte, NC) where I teach all levels of acting and directing courses, beginning and intermediate devised theatre classes, and independent studies in directing, stage management, dramaturgy, casting and acting. In the academy I have directed over thirty-five productions. I received my M.F.A.in Directing from the University of Pittsburgh and my B.F.A. in Drama/Musical Theater (cum laude) from the Boston Conservatory.
My creative scholarship consists of directing professional productions and staging readings of new works. In addition, I am an active member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) and served on ATHE’s Governing Council in the roles of: Strategic Planning Committee Chair, the Vice President of Advocacy, the Rationales Task Force Chair, and Directing Focus Group Representative.
Davidson Directing highlights include: Fiddler on the Roof, Pride and Prejudice, Tartuffe, In The Blood, Company, Summer and Smoke, Cabaret, Angels in America: Part I, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, She Loves Me, Mud and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cabaret received The Best College Production award from Creative Loafing magazine. She Loves Me won the Metrolina Theatre Association Best College Production award along with 10 additional awards.
At Davidson, I chaired the Theatre Department for eight years and I have served (and continue to serve) on numerous committees including: The Professional Affairs Committee, The Educational Policy Committee, The Admissions Committee, The Advisory Committee of Finance and Development, The Presidential Search Committee and The Honorary Degree Committee.
Honors and Awards at Davidson: The Samuel E. and Mary W. Thatcher professorship, The Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching award, the Student Government Association Faculty award, the Matthews Travel award and the Boswell Faculty Fellowship.
Download a copy of Costa’s CV.