As an educator, Southwell has worked with many theatres and organizations throughout the Seattle area. Now working as the Program Director at Youth Theatre Northwest, he is enjoying getting to hire teachers (including some former students), plan curricula, and do big picture thinking.
Teaching Superpower: “I have a natural ability to explain information concisely and directly while teaching. I also think I’m good at creating student-centric, non-competitive classroom environments (thanks to mentor teacher at SCT, Gillian Jorgensen.) In a more whimsical sense, I think I have just enough clairvoyance to frequently know what question a preschooler is going to ask the moment they raise their hand.”
Southwell is originally from the East Coast and received a degree in Theatre Education from Emerson College in Boston. Since moving to Seattle in 2011, Cory has worked with Youth Theatre Northwest, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Three Dragons Academy, The Museum of Pop Culture, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Village Theatre, among others. He has also been a state judge for the Washington State Poetry Out Loud festival.
“Surviving school as a closeted gay youth in rural Georgia, theatre was always my saving grace,” writes Southwell. "I knew I wanted to teach theatre as soon as theatre found me. It’s the only career I ever truly considered, because I wanted to help create the safe space for the younger generations that I had growing up.”
When not in the classroom or the theatre, Cory can be found creating custom LEGO sets, painting something campy, or trying to learn how to try to juggle. This season at YTN, he will be directing Matilda Jr. and creating props for The Year of the Tigers. You can find his pop culture inspired art and lego sculptures at https://www.etsy.com/shop/coso127/
“TAT Lab really reinvigorated not only my love of teaching, but also my teaching confidence,” writes Southwell. “Something I definitely took away was that, while we’re educators, we’re first and foremost human beings and the best thing we can bring to the classroom is ourselves.”
“What I really loved about TAT Lab was learning and observing teaching artists from disciplines other than my own. Working with choreographers and poets and film makers and musicians gave me fresh perspectives and avenues to teach theatre - which I continue to use. Teaching is such a solitary profession, getting to absorb from other educators really helped my mental health and naturally elevated my work in the classroom.”
Images: Courtesy of Cory Southwell
