Resume

• 2018

  Heart Forward

  Dean College

  Making all creative choices for the fall production

  including casting

  working with the actors

  and collaborating with the design team. For images from the production visit http://www.lisaakramer.com/creative-portfolio-theatre-and-other-works/slide-shows-and-video/

  Worcester State University

  Dean College

  Franklin

  MA

  Performance Studies\nEnglish: Writing for the Arts

  Adjunct Faculty

  Columbus Park Preparatory Academy

  Worcester

  I am excited to join the COOL Schools (Creative Outlook On Learning) program at VSA Massachusetts where I will be working with second graders and an integrated STEP classroom to explore folklore through drama

  as well as training teachers to continue the work when I'm not around. I look forward to future opportunities with them.

  COOL Schools Teaching Artist

  VSA Massachusetts

  Worcester

  MA

  Developed and taught an online section of Introduction to Theatre.

  Assistant Professor

  Graduate and Continuing Education

  Worcester State University

  Okoboji

  IA

  Coordinating

  facilitating and directing a touring production of \"What's the Difference\" a play about diversity and bullying to area camps and library programs.

  Plays for Living© Outreach Coordinator

  Okoboji Summer Theatre

  Worcester

  MA

  Introduction to Theatre \nTheatre for Young Audiences\nCreative Dramatics\nTheatre History\nFirst Year Seminar

  Adjunct Faculty

  Worcester State University

  Self Employed

  My passions take me in many directions. I am a theatre director of plays for general audiences as well as plays for young audiences. I work with children and adults

  using the power of drama to enrich their lives. I write articles and blogs

  as well as teach writing. I mentor and educate students of all ages. I integrate arts into schools to enrich and enhance the learning process.

  Writer

  Theatre Artist

  Educator

  Lisa A. Kramer

  Led a workshop session entitled \"Creating Diversity Change Agents through Community-Based Learning (CBL) and the Arts \"

  Clark University

  HeARTful Collaborative

  Central Massachusetts

  We are heArtful Theatre Company

  dedicated to the power of theatre to bring communities together and provide opportunities for everyone to share the stories of their lives. We provide collaborative

  creative workshops with diverse groups of people to explore issues

  discover ideas

  and celebrate the imaginative spirit. We design workshops to suit the needs and goals of our collaborators

  so that sometimes we focus on process

  sometimes we focus on issues

  sometimes we include performance

  and sometimes we have a magical mixture of everything. We will empower communities of all types to share their voices and stories with the world. http://heartfultheatre.org/

  Director of Programming

  Okoboji

  IA

  Selling tickets

  interacting with customers

  training student workers

  managing box office when the manager was unavailable.

  Assistant Box Office Manager

  Okoboji Summer Theatre

  Worcester

  MA

  As Heart Forward

  we empower communities through the creation of innovative artistic projects—at home and abroad—that challenge ourselves

  our audiences

  and our collaborators to find strength in shared stories and to foster social change.

  Forward Thinker (Co-Founder)

  Heart Forward

  Worcester

  MA

  Directed and coordinated the \"En Nueva Voces/In Our Own Voices\" program to promote literacy in three elementary schools through drama. This program is being supported by two grants; The 21st Century Grant and United Way

  Creative Director/Teacher

  Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University

  SCBWI

  Japanese

  Short List Sarton Award for Fiction

  Provost's Series in Democracy and Diplomacy Grant

  Worcester State University

  Finalist

  Sarton Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction

  http://www.storycircle.org/SartonLiteraryAward/pressrelease_2016.php

  Sarton Circle Netwok

  Distinguished Book Award for CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS THROUGH INCLUSIVE THEATRE AND COMMUNITY BASED LEARNING

  American Alliance for Theatre Education

  Nominee National Book Award

  Adjunct Excellence in Teaching Award

  Worcester State University

  Distinguished Book Award

  American Alliance for Theatre Education

  Finalist Independent Author Network Book of the Year 2015

  Independent Author Network

• 2012

  I am a respondent to 100 Word Challenges written by primary school students all over the world. For more information

  visit 100wc.net.

  100 Word Challenge

  Research

  Curriculum Design

  Event Planning

  creativity

  Creative Writing

  management

  Public Speaking

  Collaborative

  Grant Writing

  Organizing

  Teaching

  Higher Education

  Writer

  Theatre

  Editing

  Stage Management

  Theatre Director

  Festivals

  Stage Direction

  Community Outreach

  P.O.W.ER

  Finalist

  SARTON LITERARY AWARD FOR WOMEN'S FICTION

  2015\nNominee

  National Book Award

  2015\n\nWhat would happen if women and girls joined their unique abilities together to change the world? In a world where access to the written word is reserved to men

  Andra BetScrivener has been able to read and write ever since she was a little girl without anyone teaching her. She must keep her abilities a secret in the country of New North

  or she could lose her hands

  her eyes or her life. In fact

  the only paths offered to her–and all young women–are to either marry or enter the government-run Women’s Training Program

  where she’ll be taught “feminine” arts like drawing

  painting

  and homemaking. On her seventeenth birthday

  Andra discovers that her abilities extend beyond reading. She can write events to life. As she begins to explore her new ability

  she must take care not to jeopardize her father’s job as head scrivener at the Ministry.\n\nDespite her efforts to keep her powers hidden

  she comes to the attention of both the government and a rebel group

  who each desire to use Andra for their own goals. At the same time

  she begins to meet other gifted women who have never dared use their unique powers. With the help of her friends Brian and Lauren—who has the ability to read minds—Andra must find a way to unite the power of women to create change. When one side manipulates Andra’s words into killing someone

  and the other threatens her father’s life and her own freedom

  Andra decides to use her writing to empower others to stop governmental oppression. But in a society ruled by lies

  cruelty

  and inequality her journey will not be easy or safe.\n\nFor each book sold

  a portion of the proceeds will be donated to causes that support women and children around the world. \n

  P.O.W.ER

  Morgan Greene

  Doug Cooney

  An article that looks at the role of criticism in the world of Theatre for Young Audiences

  from the perspective of both the practitioners and the critics.

  \"Everyone's a Critic\"

  Looks at ways that creativity can make someone a stronger leader.

  Creativity and Leadership

  The feature article in TYA TODAY

  a journal put about by TYA/USA. The article looks at the issue of sex and romantic love in plays for young audiences

  that raises questions about what is/is not appropriate and what lines cannot be crossed.

  Let's Talk About Sex

  In this book

  the authors share stories of creative

  community based collaborations to illustrate how educators can use the arts to expand creative thinking and promote social justice beyond the classroom. Using their work in theatre classrooms as a central point

  examples of innovative

  inclusive programs designed to inspire learning for people of diverse abilities are presented. Through this examination

  Kramer and Fask reveal the excitement

  challenges

  and unexpected surprises that come along with implementing a creative approach to learning. \n\nWINNER of the American Alliance for Theatre Education 2018 DISTINGUISHED BOOK AWARD \n\n

  Creative Collaborations through Inclusive Theatre and Community Based Learning: Students in Transition

  What if medical science got too good at saving your life? What if you were assured of reincarnation but you had to spend every life with a crazy person? What if your lucky number was trying to kill you? What if we take a different view? \nWe have ten characters in here that are dying to meet you.

  Three Fourteen

  Michelle Mogil

  Jeremiah Lewis

  Timothy Hurley

  Jefferson Smith

  Jeremy Lichtman

  Mike Reeves McMillan

  Micha Fire

  Michael Williams

  LJ Cohen

  This anthology contains 15 original stories by 15 amazing authors. Each story will take a unique look at Invasion.

  Voices

  My review of one production at an Assitej conference in Norway.

  In Search of the Performance

  Hålogaland Theatre

  Norway

  Discusses my experiences traveling to an ASSITEJ conference in Norway to encourage participation in Montreal.

  Montreal 2005--Be There!

  This anthology contains 15 original stories by 15 amazing authors. Each story will take a unique look at Invasion. There is unique art for each story; some by Juan Ochoa and some by Aaron Wood.

  Theme-Thology: Invasion

  13 Stories which expose the unreal parts of your supposedly real world. Meet the other Queen of England. Mourn the boy who didn't die. Find out how foreign another country can be.

  Levoça

  Teaches young people some tools for confronting stage fright when making presentations.

  Fear No Audience

  This was a program in inner city schools intended to teach literacy through drama to English Language Learners.

  Lorelai Quinones

  Delfi Vargas

  Yaribel Campos

  NESCBWI Workshop Presenter

  From Stage to Page: Using Creative Dramatics to Inspire Writing with Lisa Kramer \nHave you ever gotten stuck as your characters become elusive? Have you ever found it difficult to \nspeak from an authentic voice or create authentic dialogue? Have you ever discovered the answers \nto your writing problems while doing something completely unrelated—exercise

  listening to music

  \ntalking with a friend? As writers it’s easy to get stuck into the routine of staring at the blank screen \nand hoping the answers will appear. We all know that doesn’t always work. So what do we do? \nCreative Drama is an informal

  improvisational

  process-centered form of drama where participants

  \nguided by a leader

  explore issues

  ideas

  topics

  stories

  etc. It can be used in a classroom to spark \nwriting (of any kind

  not just plays) or inspire art. It allows participants to move away from the screen \nor the pen and explore their characters and situations from a different angle

  through role play

  \nimprovisation

  movement and sound. It is non-exhibitional

  meaning that nobody ever has to perform \nfor an audience (unless they choose to do so). \nIn this workshop

  participants will be led through a series of activities to help them step outside of \ntheir comfort zone and explore characters in a new way. They will also be provided with opportunities \nto take what they’ve learned and write/draw something new. \n[General Craft (both writers and illustrators); Level: all skill levels]

  WSU/WPS Transition Student Collaboration

  Transition students from the Worcester Public Schools with varying degrees of developmental challenges will be participating with my Theatre for Young Audience class to create a performance for young audiences.

  Sara Penniman

  Lisa A.

  Kramer

  VSA Massachusetts

  Okoboji Summer Theatre

  Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University

  Lisa A. Kramer

  Clark University

  Worcester State University

  HeARTful Collaborative

  Okoboji Summer Theatre

• 2011

  It is wonderful to work with a group of inspired and passionate women.

  Smith College Club of Central Massachusetts

  Dramaturg

  Dramaturg for the staged reading of THE SKY IS GREEN

  a new play adapted from the book THE GIVEN DAY by Dennis Lehane.

  Fair Lady Productions

  Book Reviewer

  OnlineBookClub.org

  Child Wrangler

  Assisted in directing and wrangling young fairies for Midsummer Night's Dream

  Ghost Light Players

  Certificate

  Completed a novel for YA/NA. Completed course in January 2013

  Creative Writing

  I took a course in writing novels.

  Long Ridge Writers Group

  Kabuki Voice

  Problems in Scenic Design

  Drama and Theatre of Japan

  Drama and Theatre of China

  Workshop in Directing Process

  Child Drama: Production Concepts

  Japanese Acting Workshop

  Chinese Acting

  Shape

  Write and Sell Your Novel

  Theatre for Children

  Japanese Reading

  Taiji Weapons

  Taiji

  Performance Theaory

  Directing Asian Theatre

  Intermediate Directing

  Intro to Scenic Design

  Script Analsis

• 2001

  Certificate

  I took three different correspondence courses in writing for young people.

  Writing for Children and Young People

  Books and Articles

  Writing for Children and Teenagers \nBeyond the Basics: Creating and Selling Short Stories and Articles\nWriting and Selling Children’s Books

  Institute for Children's Literature

• 1998

  Ph.D.

  During my first year I was a graduate assistant organizing the International Youth Arts Festival which brought hundreds of area school children to the campus for three days in a row where they saw two of a possible 10 performances staged simultaneously. I wrote/edited all the educational material sent out to the schools. During my next two years I was a TA teaching a variety of courses for the theatre department.

  Theatre for Youth

  Arizona State University

• 1994

  High School Diploma

  College Prep

  Swim Team

  Student Senate

  Drama Club

  Newspaper

  Honors Society

  Brockton High School

  MFA

  I studied directing

  but focused especially on Asian performance

  puppetry

  and theatre for young audiences. I worked as the House Management Graduate Assistant

  where I organized volunteers

  created lobby displays

  and edited and/or wrote all program copy.

  Theatre Directing

  University of Hawaii at Manoa

• 1986

  BA

  I was a double major in English Language & Literature and Theatre. I worked as an electrician for the theatre department

  and was the co-president of the student theatre club. I also stage managed and did lighting design.

  English Language & Literature

  Theatre (Double Major)

  Smith College

• Puppets

  Makeup

  and Other Creative Work

  This album shows the variety of projects I do

  some for performance some for personal challenges

  some for blog posts.

  Theater Educator

  Images from a variety of theater education programs and workshops I have conducted.

  Curriculum Vitae

  This contains my complete CV.

  Theater Director

  Images of various productions that I directed for academic

  professional and community theaters.

  Theatre for Social Change

  Theatre and Community

  Excerpts from blog posts that describe drama/art projects based on social change and community.

  The Woven Tale Press is a monthly magazine

  a culling of the best of the creative web. The worldwide web is teeming with talent. Our mission is to highlight the blog post that otherwise may be buried in a blogger’s archives; the painting or photograph from an artist’s site worthy of greater focus than its singular webpage; the funny the offbeat.

  The Woven Tale Press