Teaching artist.

Educator.

Facilitator.

Passionate about designing and facilitating creative experiences for learners ages 0-99 since 2007.

Francesca's teaching artistry focus falls within the arts, literacy, and social/emotional learning with a trauma-informed lens. She has a particular passion for designing curriculums that incorporate creativity and collaboration, and center curiosity.

She has been an Adjunct Professor at Temple University, Community College of Philadelphia, and University of the Arts. She has taught Creativity, Movement for the Actor, Approaches to Movement for Directors, Devising Methodologies, and Methods of Teaching Artistry.

In addition to hosting workshops inspired by her own artistic practice, she has experience working with organizations to create bespoke programming based on their needs, including:

  • Visiting school classrooms with theater and improv curriculum (Trinity Rep, the Arden, Pig Iron Theater)

  • Bilingual arts and literacy classes with the Barnes Foundation & Puentes de Salud

  • Therapeutic arts workshops with BuildaBridge centering refugees and DV survivors

  • Sexuality education with Yes to Consent

  • Reggio-Emilia inspired pre-school education

  • Dramatic story times for infants and their caregivers

Creativity for all

Student Feedback, Temple University

“Francesca was consistently dedicated throughout the course to ensuring that her instruction was accessible for all of her students.”

Participant Feedback, Girls Leadership

“Francesca was terrific. She created a calm, comfortable space for all the girls and their grownup to take risks and be themselves.”

Available For Booking: KIDS

  • Devising for Kids & Teens

    A guided creation process incorporating improv, movement, visual art, and/or writing, culminating in a short performance.  With an emphasis on creativity and collaboration, this process-based approach empowers participants’ voices as artists in creating their own work.

    A theme can be decided in advanced, or conceived by the group.  The curriculum can be adjusted for different lengths of engagement. 

    For 1st-12th graders.

  • Workshops for Young Artists

    A blend of arts, literacy, and social/emotional learning: each class is built around a storybook or piece of art and includes: a Greeting/Check-In, a Movement Game, a Story Reading or Art Work Discussion, Visual Art-Making, and Sharing.

    Choose from pre-designed lessons (e.g. Color Mixing + Emotions, Shadow Puppets + Storytelling, Bookmaking + Family, Playdough + Food Traditions), or have a curriculum designed around a book or artwork of your choice.

    For Pre-K-2nd graders.

Contact for Booking

Available For Booking: ADULTS

  • Devising for adults

    A guided creation process including devising methodologies and writing exercises, culminating in a final work of performance.

    While drawing on professional devising and theatrical techniques (improv, physical theater, and playwriting), no experience is necessary. Participants will be led through accessible pathways towards creation that leverage the inherent artist within everyone.

    A theme or inquiry can be created in collaboration with the group or organization. Past engagements have focused on Identity, Storytelling, and/or Advocacy and Awareness-Building.

  • Art-Making from Digital Landscapes

    In this workshop, participants are invited to make visual art work from their digital landscapes. We spend a lot of time on our phones, and there’s an understandable anxiety around this, but rather than immediately dismissing the time we spend on phones - what if we look at it with tenderness? What can it teach us about how we connect and what we value? What can these small, palm-sized universes teach us about ourselves?

    Materials are provided, along with multiple prompts and processes to try.

    *This workshop can also be run for Teens and Young Adults.

  • Creativity and the Erotic Imagination

    These workshops use the art-making process to actively reflect on body image, desire, communication, and pleasure.

    They are composed of facilitated discussion, a visual art exercise and a writing exercise, with optional share-outs and space for reflection.

    Topics include:

    Self(ie): Self Image & Self Portraiture

    Creativity as a Tool for Igniting the Erotic Imagination

    Naming and Advocating for Your Desires

Contact for Booking

Courses for Higher Education

& PERFORMANCE Artists

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL DEVISING

This course offers techniques and approaches for creating autobiographical work that is rich in image, playfully performed, & cleverly constructed to invite an audience into your story and create a meaningful experience for both artist and audience.

Ensemble devising

This course explores why and how artists collaborate to create performance. How does a group of artists make decisions about a piece? How do they create a shared world and language? Students will learn a survey of devising exercises and techniques, and explore different models of decision-making and structuring a rehearsal room.

CREATIVITY AS A PRACTICE

This course is an introduction to various approaches to exercising the creative muscle as an artist: building generative habits, sharpening observation, accessing play, and uncovering a creative voice. Practical, guided processes for brainstorming, ideation, editing, presenting work, and giving & receiving feedback.

The multi-disciplinary artist

This course is for students who are curious about creating in more than one medium and are looking for ways to create a personal artistic practice that honors all of their disciplines. We will tackle questions like: How can the different parts of your practice feed and inspire each other? How do you hone and define your core artistic curiosities and questions across a variety of mediums? 

Adaptation for the Stage: Devising From Non-Theatrical Texts & Sources 

In this course, students will explore how to use unconventional source material to create new works for the stage. They will learn strategies to create visual worlds, performance and movement styles, and internal logic that is inspired by the source material, while also functioning independently as a performance work.

MOVEMENT FOR ACTORS, or MOVEMENT FOR DIRECTORS

This course gives students a foundation for using movement-based techniques in performance-making. With an emphasis on Lecoq’s principles of movement, the course will also employ Boal exercises and a blend of devising practices. Students will expand their individual body awareness and expressivity, cultivate the ability to move in pairs and in a group, develop their critical eye, be equipped with tools and techniques for approaching movement in performance, for generating movement, and for using movement as a means for creation in their future work.

METHODS OF TEACHING ARTISTRY

This course explores the theory and techniques of teaching artistry, with an emphasis on trauma-informed practices. It provides an overview of current models and possible approaches, including preparation, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Students will create their own lesson plans and facilitate them on their own and in partnerships with co-teachers.