Senior Lecturer in Spanish
For this native of Madrid, Spain, Theatre and Education are the two passions of her life. With a strong academic background in the study of languages and literatures, and thorough training as a theatre practitioner, she has sought to create the space in which her two passions could converge. She found that the classroom offers a natural stage to integrate both: in her pedagogical vision, the classroom–or learning environment—becomes a performative space where each student is invited to take on the leading role in their own learning process.
She has been dedicated to the teaching of language, literature and theatre for over 20 years. As an actress, she has pursued additional training with disciples of Michael Chekhov at the MICHA International School, with the Peruvian Group Yuyachkani at Harvard University, and with Ángel Gutiérrez at the Teatro de Cámara Chéjov, Madrid. As a director, she has worked with companies in Madrid and Boston, and her playwriting has been premiered at Teatro Español, Círculo de Bellas artes de Madrid (Spain), Adams Pool Theatre, Adolphus Busch Hall Museum and Agassiz Theatre at Harvard University.
She has taught theatre, languages and literatures at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Harvard University and now Boston University, where she is currently a Senior Lecturer. She holds two BA degrees from Universidad Complutense de Madrid (in English Philology magna cum laude, and in Comparative Literature), and an MA in Theatre and Cultural Studies. In her PhD studies in History and Theory of Drama at Complutense University, she specialized in the theatre of Anton Chekhov, spent a summer in Moscow learning Russian at Lomonosov University, visited all the Chekhovian places and paid homage to the Russian artists of the Moscow Art Theatre. Her journey took her across the Atlantic Ocean to Harvard University, where she did research and taught Spanish while writing and directing plays with Harvard College Teatro!, the first company to perform in Spanish at Harvard. Instead of a dissertation, she wrote a theatre play, Chekhov in the Garden, a project in collaboration with the stage director Luis d’Ors. Chekhov in the Garden became a finalist in the prestigious Spanish playwriting prize Born, and was premiered at the prominent Teatro Español de Madrid in 2008.
Apart from theatre and education, this madrileña loves learning languages (she studied more than 10 in her dream to become a hyperpolyglot!), and learning about absolutely everything, from neuroscience to puppetry! She enjoys teaching all language levels, and has designed two signature courses that invite students to learn the language and culture through theatre (Spanish through Performance) and humor (What makes Spaniards laugh?). She is preparing now a course on horror films and spooky stories in the Hispanic World, a dream (nightmare?) come true! Her pedagogical approach can be described as play-based, hands-on, learner-centered and community-based, an educational approach that cultivates intrinsic motivation, a growth mindset and the joy of learning. She invites students to take center stage, empowering them to hold the reins of their learning journey, and encouraging them to take risks, embracing the challenge and daring greatly!