cynthia louisa graf

I am a seasoned Drama teacher and performer with more than 25 years of experience between both classroom and stage. Professionally trained actress with excellent teaching skills achieving exceptional student achievement results. I believe in the holistic education of a child, educating the whole person beyond the core academics. This belief, alongside dynamic versatile teaching and together with strong pastoral support, I find enables pupils to reach their highest potential. 

My education, training, previous work and performing experience has enabled me to devise and teach well-rounded SOW in Drama lessons incorporating:

• acting techniques 
• vocal techniques
• directing techniques
• physical theatre
• musicality, movement, mime
• improvisational skills
• theatre history
• study of different theatre genres and their performance characteristics
• basic theatre craft-lighting-staging-costume-set design
• vocal recording techniques/pod casts/radio plays etc.
• lessons designed to engage and stretch all differentiation 

Currently, alongside of full-time Drama teaching grades 2-9:

• manage and direct four main stage productions per year with cast sizes of up to 110 pupils involving: directing, staging & technical design, choreography and managing a budget for each show. 
• sole acting coach and mentor for drama scholarship and bursary candidates preparing them for future school auditions and interviews and suppling the references needed in support of their entry.(These efforts have achieved exceptional student achievement resulting in multiple scholarship awards.) 
• 8th grade Form teacher-role-: cover PSHE education, current affairs and meet with each individual form student regularly to support them with any academic or pastoral issues.
• main point of contact for parents and their liaison for teachers. 

Outside of the classroom: 

• annually direct a selected troop of advanced actors to perform in ‘The Shakespeare for Schools’ festival in London
• run middle school drama club
• offer week-long drama camps during the schools Easter and summer breaks
• head a weekly group called ‘Big Foot’ to help carefully selected children build self-confidence and better their social skills in a creative, social environment that is relaxed and fun! 
• teach French and Spanish through role play and drama to our elementary years
• run a weekly school radio club producing plays, adverts, interviews and news

Consistently, I aim to explore and produce new initiatives with the drama department; interdepartmentally, co-curricular, within the houses and through outreach programmes. I am an advocate of working with my colleagues on co-curricular topics and projects, to work as a team to support and enhance each other’s subjects. 

I have always been a motivational and energetic educator who understands the challenges, abilities and needs of my students. I am from a large, multicultural family and was raised internationally. This has given me resilience with change, great adaptability, acceptability and strong communicative skills with people from all backgrounds and socio-economical situations. I have a first-hand understanding and experience of the pressures and pace of a very large prep school, performing arts school and career. I believe my passion for teaching, pastoral strengths and knowledge of my craft makes me an excellent fit for this Drama teaching position.  

Drama Teacher and Productions Director      2016- Present                                  

Danes Hill School (Prep 7-13yrs)                      Oxshott, UK

-Developing and delivering lesson plans covering a wide range of subject matter, themes and techniques to grades 3 – 9. 

-Directing full year group stage productions 4 times per school year. Covering technical design, choreography, stage design and budget. 

-Running numerous extra-curricular drama clubs and camps 

-Teaching Spanish and French through role play for early elementary

-Daily Form teacher covering PSHE, current affairs, pastoral needs and parent liaison.

Associate Artistic Director/Leading Actress             2013 - 2015

Actors Repertory Theatre, Luxembourg                     Luxembourg L-1929

-Collaborating overall strategy, planning and implementation for productions

-Devising activities to promote membership and growth for the company

-Implementing outreach programs for local school groups to enhance government funds

-Coordinating all fundraising and marketing strategies

-Collaborating with all production developments and casting both locally and intl

-Performing

Drama Teacher (Clubs)                                                    2010 - 2013

St George’s International School                                  Luxembourg L-2328

-Designing and conducting after school drama programs to promote: confidence building, acting skills, physical awareness, teamwork and collaboration. 

-‘Play in a week’

-Seasonal sketches with end of term performances

-Improvisation group

-Musical theatre performance group

Independent Teacher/ Coach                                         2010 - 2014

Group/private Drama teacher/Acting Coach              Luxembourg

-Coaching for University and Drama school auditions

-Coaching for acting agency auditions

-Preparing actors for LAMDA exams

-Working for Intl. businesses for role play training 

Production Administrator/PA                                             1997 - 2001

Lawrence Myers-Tom Kininnmont/Producers                 London, West End

Pericles Productions/Independent Images

-Supporting the development of new projects

-Making arrangements for tours-events

-Booking rehearsal spaces for productions/auditions

-Liaison with writers and directors and producers

-Managing comp lists for all shows

-Heading full organisation for ‘Opening Nights’

-Acting PA for headline performers for duration of production.

(-Gene Wilder-Peter O’Toole-Tom Conti 1997-2001)

Actor (joined AEA US/UK 1994) C.V upon request          1990 – 2014 Intl.

Masters                                                                     1994

Classical Acting                                                              

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA)

BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts)                                   1990

Musical Theatre (Double Minor Acting/Dance)

Boston Conservatory of Music (at Berkley)