Michael received his doctorate from NYU in 2018. His dissertation focused on the efficacy of using a chosen theatrical voice technique while teaching. A documentary film (A Matter of Life and Breath), which served as a component of the disseminating materials is available for viewing below. Dr. Yurchak teaches at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio, and Such A Voice Voice Over Training. He recently presented at the VASTA/PAVA Joint Conference, Soma and Science: Bridging the Gap In Interdisciplinary Voice Training, and his article, Walking the Talk: Teachers as Practitioners of Fitzmaurice Voicework, appeared in the Spring 2020 edition of The Voice and Speech Review. An online version of the paper is viewable here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/495RMu7EDfJgtQYxyZzg/full
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/495RMu7EDfJgtQYxyZzg/full
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STATEMENT of TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:
My approach to teaching and research is informed by a deep engagement with applied theater, and in particular with the work and teaching of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal who have emphasized identifying oppressive dynamics in traditional cultural and community structures and sparking dialogue and expression by those who might otherwise feel disenfranchised. This approach has a dual purpose: it promotes enfranchisement and inclusivity, and at the same time mines value and insight from varied perspectives and experiences to enhance the communal experience.
My work has given me the opportunity to examine ways in which cross-curricular and interdepartmental projects enhance an academic community by increasing inclusivity and diversity of thought, and to explore how dramatic technique might be employed to shine new light on subject matter in order to deepen student understating and connection to content. My work has been inspired by a commitment not only to traditional theater and performance education, but also to a sustained investigation of the capacity for performance studies to contribute to academic and practical issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
I believe very strongly in teaching what’s in front of me, putting process before product, and maintaining positivity and curiosity with an ensemble. I believe that presentations and benchmarks are simply for sharing where we are in a larger process. On this day, right now, the sharing of material is very different than it would have been when we first got started, and very different from what it might be if we worked another two weeks (or two months, or two years). The virtue of today’s offering is that it is unique and special just for being what it is. Augusto Boal put it this way: “There are some days like today when something that has never happened before happens for the first time; when something that never existed is born.” I believe the day itself is to be celebrated.
The importance of being present and available to the process of what is happening today, as opposed to the desire and judgment about what might happen tomorrow, or about what might have been, is a central tenet of my work as an artist and as a teacher. Puerto Rican artist Antonio Martorell explained, “Everything is art. The whole world is your inheritance.” His words, too, reflect the idea that any experience one has is itself a piece of art.
Certainly the devising and rehearsal processes for artists are fertile times of creativity and intellectual flow. It would seem to follow, then, that the collaborative processes themselves should be considered art with or without a “finished” product to present. The result of such thinking is work that is satisfying to artist and audience because it has been steeped in the principle of collaborative exploration and the joy of doing. Boal said, “The purpose [of artistic exploration] is that everyone is an artist and that everyone should do Art. Art is not something for a few. It's for everyone. …It is a way of being human.”
The relationship between being an artist and a teacher is symbiotic: one fuels the other and vice versa. For me, the two go hand in hand. The importance of this is clear in the classroom as well as on the stage. I believe students feel camaraderie with a teacher who is also engaged with the personal journey of being an artist. Though creating and expressing through art can be rewarding, there is also a discomfort and a struggle in being an artist. It feels important to me that students sense the authenticity and humanity of their teacher’s journey and see that he or she is not simply talking about theory, but rather sharing life experience and truth as they have come to understand it.
I strive to embody the following practice for students:
The search for these ideals requires patience and a willingness to remain open and receptive to others without forcing an agenda of one’s own. By employing this state of mind and spirit, one’s experience has the possibility of achieving a higher level of authenticity, communication, and productivity while maintaining the highest level of praxis: action, reflection, transformation.
My approach to teaching and research is informed by a deep engagement with applied theater, and in particular with the work and teaching of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal who have emphasized identifying oppressive dynamics in traditional cultural and community structures and sparking dialogue and expression by those who might otherwise feel disenfranchised. This approach has a dual purpose: it promotes enfranchisement and inclusivity, and at the same time mines value and insight from varied perspectives and experiences to enhance the communal experience.
My work has given me the opportunity to examine ways in which cross-curricular and interdepartmental projects enhance an academic community by increasing inclusivity and diversity of thought, and to explore how dramatic technique might be employed to shine new light on subject matter in order to deepen student understating and connection to content. My work has been inspired by a commitment not only to traditional theater and performance education, but also to a sustained investigation of the capacity for performance studies to contribute to academic and practical issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
I believe very strongly in teaching what’s in front of me, putting process before product, and maintaining positivity and curiosity with an ensemble. I believe that presentations and benchmarks are simply for sharing where we are in a larger process. On this day, right now, the sharing of material is very different than it would have been when we first got started, and very different from what it might be if we worked another two weeks (or two months, or two years). The virtue of today’s offering is that it is unique and special just for being what it is. Augusto Boal put it this way: “There are some days like today when something that has never happened before happens for the first time; when something that never existed is born.” I believe the day itself is to be celebrated.
The importance of being present and available to the process of what is happening today, as opposed to the desire and judgment about what might happen tomorrow, or about what might have been, is a central tenet of my work as an artist and as a teacher. Puerto Rican artist Antonio Martorell explained, “Everything is art. The whole world is your inheritance.” His words, too, reflect the idea that any experience one has is itself a piece of art.
Certainly the devising and rehearsal processes for artists are fertile times of creativity and intellectual flow. It would seem to follow, then, that the collaborative processes themselves should be considered art with or without a “finished” product to present. The result of such thinking is work that is satisfying to artist and audience because it has been steeped in the principle of collaborative exploration and the joy of doing. Boal said, “The purpose [of artistic exploration] is that everyone is an artist and that everyone should do Art. Art is not something for a few. It's for everyone. …It is a way of being human.”
The relationship between being an artist and a teacher is symbiotic: one fuels the other and vice versa. For me, the two go hand in hand. The importance of this is clear in the classroom as well as on the stage. I believe students feel camaraderie with a teacher who is also engaged with the personal journey of being an artist. Though creating and expressing through art can be rewarding, there is also a discomfort and a struggle in being an artist. It feels important to me that students sense the authenticity and humanity of their teacher’s journey and see that he or she is not simply talking about theory, but rather sharing life experience and truth as they have come to understand it.
I strive to embody the following practice for students:
- Trust the work.
- Loosen the grip on control.
- “Allow” instead of “do.”
- Be comfortable in discomfort.
- Lean into chaos and become curious about what there is to learn from it.
- Process, consider, and discuss the work as an artist.
- Become a truly reflective practitioner: adjusting, modifying, and enhancing one’s work with fluidity, grace, and gratitude.
The search for these ideals requires patience and a willingness to remain open and receptive to others without forcing an agenda of one’s own. By employing this state of mind and spirit, one’s experience has the possibility of achieving a higher level of authenticity, communication, and productivity while maintaining the highest level of praxis: action, reflection, transformation.