The spotlight shines on Erin Southard, a fresh face to the SCHS cast. She teaches Multicultural Literature, Drama 1 and Production Honors. Southard brings over seven years of teaching experience within the realm of theater.
“I taught at Bret Harte Middle School for the past six years, and I taught English and art there,” Southard said. “But before that, I used to teach Shakespeare workshops and theater summer camps since I was 17.”
Southard joined the Bruin community to seek a different experience. She enjoys moving around and finding new things to explore in life.
“Drama is basically literature but performed on stage, so I felt like it was the right fit for me. I felt like it was the right time to try something new from my old job because I feel like I’m a very dynamic person. I don’t feel very static,” Southard said. “The subject of drama is really dynamic, so I was hoping I would find a place where I was challenged constantly, every year, in a good way, not a bad way.”
Southard initially did not pursue theater or acting, but she worked toward an associates degree in arts and letters. She later transferred colleges, during which she was convinced by her teacher to audition and seek what talents awaited her.
“I actually took a little bit of a detour and went to a two year theater program, which is called the Foothill Theater Conservatory. You have to audition to get into those. It’s very intensive. You’re with the same 20 people for two years. That was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Southard said. “Then I transferred to Biola University and got my bachelor’s in English literature and writing with a concentration in Shakespeare and Gothic literature.”
Southard’s love for storytelling began young. Initially, she was fascinated with musicals and later found a passion for Shakespeare.
“That’s (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare) one of my favorite plays that I’ve been in! I played Hermia, which I like the quote that Helena says about Hermia, which is, ‘Though she be but little, she is fierce,’ and because I am 5 ‘1 ,” I was like, ‘I have to play Hermia. She’s written to be a short character,’” Southard said. “So that’s a character I got to play, and it was one of my favorite roles that I’ve ever played.”
Outside of theater and teaching, Southard enjoys sewing, crafting and cosplaying.
“I really have been enjoying hobbies like sewing and costuming,” Southard said. “Sometimes it (sewing) is relaxing, but I like problem solving things, and it’s a different form of problem solving than teaching or drama is. So I do cosplay, and I do cosplay competitions sometimes.”
Throughout her life, Southard uses her storytelling abilities, whether through writing or drama. She strives to pass on the knowledge she has gained, hoping her students take risks and explore beyond the confines of what they have been told they are incapable of.
“It doesn’t have to be all academic or all arts. You can have this broad range of your personality,” Southard said. “I don’t want students to ever feel like they have to limit themselves, especially based off of what they’ve been told in the past about who they are and who they aren’t. Maybe you had some bad experiences in school, or maybe you just struggled with a subject and you needed extra help, and you didn’t get that extra help at that time. I think everyone has so many possibilities, and I don’t want them to ever think they’re limited.”