Teachers in the Spotlight: Stephanie Park

Stephanie Park is the Head of Drama at Dulwich International High School Suzhou, she graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.F.A. in Drama and received both an MA and EdM from Columbia University.  Before becoming a teacher, Stephanie was a professional performer in NYC. Stephanie kindly agreed to be interviewed.

 ?  What was your career path before coming to Dulwich?

From my earliest age, I knew I wanted to be an actress. I got into Carnegie Mellon University, which was at that time the #1 undergraduate acting program in the country.  The summer between my freshman and sophomore year I interned at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. Many Broadway professionals would workshop and rehearse new musicals and plays during the summer at this center, so I had the opportunity to meet a lot of people. One of the people I met was Maury Yeston, a lyricist and composer who had won many Tony Awards for his original musical “Nine.”  I sang for Maury and he invited me to audition for a new musical he was writing called “In the Beginning.” In my sophomore year of college, I flew to New York and auditioned for the production. I did not get in, but I had made a long-term contact in Maury Yeston.

I graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 1989 with a degree in drama and went to New York City. My first job was in a production of Candide at The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, where I earned my union card that allowed me to audition for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. My second big job was in an Off-Broadway production of a new musical called “Song of Singapore,” where I played a character named Cha Li. After that, I did a production of “Camelot” with Robert Goulet. My first really big break was when I was cast in the first national tour of “Miss Saigon.” The set was so big that we could only play in cities that had the largest theatres. Some cities even built new theatres so they could accommodate the show. I played a character named Gigi, and had a short solo song. I also did the second national tour of “Miss Saigon” for a short period of time. 

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When I was in Los Angeles with Miss Saigon, I heard that there was going to be a new Broadway production of “The King and I.” I didn’t know if, or when, I would get an audition, but I thought it was very likely I would get an audition. So, I worked with an acting coach and learned every female role and part in the show, just in case. A year later, the casting directors did come to Los Angeles and I did get an audition. I did not get the job, but I impressed the casting director and musical director with my audition.

Shortly after that, I moved back to New York. The casting director for Miss Saigon remembered my King and I audition, and invited me to audition for a new Broadway play called “Getting Away with Murder.” The play was written by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth – two very famous musical theatre writers who had won multiple Tony Awards. I was offered the job and accepted it.

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Getting Away with Murder wasn’t popular and didn’t run for a long time, and I soon found myself out of a job. I heard that Michael Rafter (the musical director that had liked my audition for The King and I) was holding a musical theatre audition class. I also knew that there was now an opening with “The King and I.” I joined the audition class and on the first day sang a song that I thought would make the musical director think of me for the King and I. It worked, and he spoke to me that day about auditioning. I auditioned and was offered the role.

I was in “The King and I” for about 6 months, when I heard that Maury Yeston was working with a group of actors to develop a new musical called “Titanic.” I found out where they were rehearsing, and I sat outside the rehearsal room until Maury came out. I re-introduced myself to him, and he immediately asked if I would perform on a recording of another musical he had worked on.  He then got me an audition for “Titanic” and I was offered the job. As I was in the original company of Titanic, you can hear me singing on the album. Titanic won five Tony Awards including Best Musical.

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I did the entire run of Titanic (2 years) and after that reached New York actor burnout. I was looking for another career, and decided to try teaching. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure how it would work out, but I soon discovered that I loved it. Although it is still fun to occasionally sing in public, and I have performed a couple of times in small local productions, I really haven’t looked back. I am very happy being a teacher and do not want to go back to my former career. Teaching and directing productions are what I love to do most.

 ?  What attracted you to Dulwich International High School Suzhou? What challenges have you faced and overcome? How do you interact with students?

I was attracted to the curriculum. Every student at the school takes drama, and it helps them to communicate with confidence and creativity. I really feel that the course adds value to student’s lives and helps them toward their goals of living abroad and going to study internationally. Maybe because I was a professional actress, I don’t really care about doing huge high school productions in fancy theatres.  I’m interested in how drama can help people in their lives, and how it helps ordinary people. The biggest challenge of the course was starting to understand this unique group of students. I had no understanding of how to teach to ESL students, or how to structure classes so they fit into 35 minute periods one time per week. It has been an exciting process working with my teaching partner Aimee Yang, to build a curriculum that focuses on encouraging creativity, collaboration, risk-taking, that is embedded with authentic theatre content. This year, Aimee and I are implementing our shared ideas, and we are very interested to see how they turn out!

I really enjoy having fun with students. I like to laugh in class, and I love it when the students show their unique personalities. Of course, I spend most of my time with students who participate in the after-school program. This year, the Shakespeare CCA has worked as a group to invent an original production inspired by “Two Gentlemen of Verona.”  The kids spent a long time improvising various character relationships and scenes, I then gathered their ideas and compiled them into a story outline. After that, we continued to explore and improvise new ideas, and ultimately the students wrote original dialogue that we used in our play. The students also chose the music, and the piece has evolved to become a bit of a musical – with lots of movement and dancing.  We will take the show on the road to the Dulwich Shakespeare Festival, and we will also have an in-school performance.

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 ?  What is your teaching philosophy?

I’m really interested in how drama can help people live their lives.  You can learn so much through drama – about yourself, relationships, how to conduct yourself in the world, how to work with each other, how to deal with success and rejection and how to be courageous and take risks. I think that everyone can learn these things, and Drama is simply the vehicle through which I hope to inspire these attributes.

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 ?  What is unique about Dulwich International High School Suzhou?

One of the things that makes this school really stand out is the fact that it is part of a community of schools. There are so many advantages that this provides for the students. For example, the Dulwich connection with the Royal Shakespeare Company provides an incredible opportunity.  It is my understanding that we are one of only two schools that have such a special relationship with the RSC. Every year, all the Dulwich Schools show their work at a Shakespeare Festival, and they also interact with other students and participate in amazing workshops led by the RSC. Every year, an RSC practitioner comes to our school for one week to work with the students. The Dulwich group also provides a yearly opportunity for teachers to do a weekend of professional development with the RSC. This is just one of many examples of how the community of schools is of such great value to our students and staff.

 ?  What do you like most about your students?

I am endlessly impressed with the creativity of our students.  I can’t believe how imaginative they are, and how much they can invent when they give themselves permission. Events like the Treasure Hunt, the House Sing Off, Video Challenge, the House Drama competition, and the Ripple Disco are simply mind-blowing in scope and show how much these kids are able to achieve.  I’m proud of all of them.

 ?  What are your hobbies?

I like to do long distance hiking, read, sew and travel. I also brought my Himalayan cat with me from the United States to China, so she is a very expensive cat.