Mr. McCoy, the new Drama and Tech Theater teacher, has been teaching for more than twenty years, mostly at colleges including Catholic University, George Washington University, and Harford Community College. During that time, he also acted, directed, and was a playwright.
He is thrilled to join Jesuit and its Performing Arts Community.
“It’s an honor to be a new and a small part of that legacy and of that team,” he said.
He loves the community created around theater, and makes creating that community a priority in his life.
McCoy wants to bring new ideas to the performing arts. His aspirations include gaining new talent from students and finding new ways to collaborate with the different departments at Jesuit.
“[Students] might not be comfortable standing up and singing and dancing in front of people and that’s okay, but there are lots of other things that you should try. If it’s not something that you continue to do, I can promise there’s going to be something really valuable you get out of the experience of doing it,” he said.
McCoy emphasizes the importance of trying new things outside of your comfort zone, and how theater is a great place to start.
His dad’s advice about accepting a new job pushed him to choose one he would enjoy.
“He told me that if I could do it, I owed it to myself to seek out doing something that I love, but it’s more important to find people that you love to do it with,” he said.
Interview Transcript (lightly edited for clarity)
How long have you been in teaching?
“I have been a teacher for more than 20 years. Before coming to Jesuit was predominantly a college professor. And I have worked in teaching high schoolers and high school classes for a good portion of those 20 years and I’ve been teaching for all of that time in the performing arts. If you name an area somewhere in and around the performing arts, I’ve taught it before.”
What are some of the like the colleges and high schools you’ve worked at before
“I taught at Catholic University in Washington. So I lived and worked in Washington, DC for 17 years, I worked at George Washington University Catholic University, and also some community colleges in that area like Harford Community College, Montgomery college. And I did that, while also at the same time supporting a career as an actor, a director and a playwright.”
What classes will you teach this year?
“So this year, I’m teaching two sections of tech theater, the tech theater program here at Jesuit is incredible. We provide audio visual support for all the assemblies and all the masses. And we also construct all of the sets and provide all the technical support for the productions that we do here. And I’m very fond of those students and of that class. I’m also teaching freshmen drama, which is great for me as a new teacher to get to meet people who are just like me, we’re starting off all together at the same time at Jesuit. And then my other class is drama and theater, which is an advanced theater course for sophomores through seniors.”
What excites you about teaching at Jesuit?
“Well, the theater program here is excellent, Jeff Hall and Elaine Closer have built an incredible program that is incredibly warm and and has consistently had a very fine product on the stage. And behind the scenes, as well. And so it’s just an honor to be a new and small part of that legacy and of that team. And also, I was seeking out a community all of the things that I have done in my professional career have been these little mini communities in and of themselves, community of actors, directors, playwrights, theater, artists, teachers. And when this job became available, one of the things that became most appealing to me was the strong sense of community and how that was a priority at this school.”
What is something that the community should know about you?
“I really look forward to collaborating and finding ways to collaborate, maybe even beyond what the department has done before. Obviously, we collaborate with other fine arts, visual art, music, choir. I would love to find ways to collaborate with the English departments or the history departments, the theology departments. I look forward to, as we grow, to finding ways to get the school involved in the theater program. I also want them to know that I am a dad with two daughters, a six year old and a three month old. And if I look really tired, it’s because of that.”
And what is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“My dad passed away in 2015. So I am prone to quoting him. I wouldn’t say that he was a talker, but when he said something, he meant it and it had a lasting impact on me. My dad spent his life doing a job that he didn’t really like very much and he did it to support the family. I was the third of three children. I think he had more of a perspective on life when I came along. So I was the benefit of that perspective. And he told me that if I could do it I owed myself to seek out doing something that I love. But it’s more important to find people that you love to do it with. And that’s stuck with me. And that’s what I’ve been in pursuit of. And that’s why I’m here right now. Because I’m around people I love, doing what I love.”
Awesome. Also, you said you were an actor and a director, what is your favorite piece you’ve acted or directed?
“That’s really difficult because all of them are are really singular experiences right that each play is a window into somebody’s ideas, world experiences, and it’s vastly different than something else. But there are a couple that just stick out as being particularly moving. But that might not be the best production. It might be the the time that it happened or the so I directed a play called the turn of the screw, which is based on this was at a college in Maryland. And it said it’s harder and harder is really difficult to do onstage. But we found really creative ways to scare the audience. And I felt really proud of that. Because really difficult to do. And as an actor, I did a children’s play called The Miraculous Journey of Edward to lane. It’s the only play that I remember doing that I leapt out of bed every morning because we would perform in the mornings. I would leave out of bed in the morning excited to go and work. And I was so heartbroken when that was over because it just it’s a wonderful story. It was a great acting opportunity. And the audiences really wanted to be there and they loved it and they got something out of it. And that’s exactly what we want to do as an artist.”
With directing that kids play, you have obviously young daughters of your own, do you want to get them into theater or do whatever they want to do?
“Well, I think it’s really important that everyone tries it, in what way you try it. I think it’s completely up to the individual. You might not be comfortable standing up and singing and dancing in front of people. And that’s okay. But there are lots of other things that you should try. I feel the same way about drama that I do about visual art, music. I think everyone should give it a shot. If it’s not something that you continue to do, I can promise there’s going to be something really valuable you get out of the experience of doing it. It is in and of itself, its own community, which is really important. And there are really useful skills that are transferable to any number of areas that you can get by working on a play collaboratively. And I think that everyone should try it.”
And would you say that also [transfers] to what you want to be put out to the community here at Jesuit and the students here?
“Absolutely, everyone is welcome here. And I can promise you that you’re going to get something beneficial out of the experience. What we do here is exciting. And there are many opportunities for many different kinds of people. We just need to meet you and to see what your interests are and how we might best use your talents and to give you a place where you can exhibit those talents.”
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
