Teaching

Justin has over a decade of experience in theatre teaching. He has taught playwriting in NYC public schools, first as a teaching artist with Young Audiences New York and currently as a Workshop Leader with Young Playwrights Inc., founded by Stephen Sondheim. He also created a customized two-week playwriting intensive for high school juniors at The Nightingale-Bamford School, which culminated in readings of the students' work by professional actors, and has taught improv workshops in the school's acting classes and upper school drama rehearsals.

“Justin is an excellent teacher. My students loved working with him and frequently refer back to what they learned in his classes. He strikes the perfect balance between providing students with clear and useful guidelines and allowing them freedom to explore their ideas and find their voice. Students respond immediately to his energy, enthusiasm, and humor. My students wrote some of their best material with Justin because of the inspiration, encouragement, and feedback he provided, and I look forward to working with him again in the near future.”

Laura Kirk, English Faculty, The Nightingale-Bamford School

Previously, Justin co-created the improv comedy training program at Washington Improv Theater, which now runs year-round and serves hundreds of students every year. During his seven-year tenure with WIT, he taught adult classes at all skill levels, led workshops for teenagers, and conducted corporate training programs for clients ranging from small non-profits to America Online.  Sample comments on anonymous class-evaluation forms:

"Simply incredible... very supportive"

"Definitely made the class as terrific as it was"

"A phenomenally gifted artist and teacher"

"Fantastic - by far the best teacher I've ever had"

He is happy to create a customized writing workshop for any audience – just drop him a line on the Contact page.