2008 Woodie Awards
From the Stage to the Class
Aiselle De Vera
Issue date: 6/2/08 Section: Features
Liz Stimson, De Anza College theater instructor, plays more roles in one day that most actresses play in one year. She is an artist, actress, teacher, mother and wife. Currently she teaches part time at both De Anza College and West Valley College. At De Anza she teaches Theatre Arts 20 A, B and C. At West Valley she teaches Theatre A, B and C, which are courses on how to act in front of the camera.
She began teaching theater at De Anza in 2000, but her love for acting goes far back into her childhood. She grew up around art and music. Her mother is a dance accompanist and pianist, while her father is a foreign language instructor.
She would accompany her mother to dance performances and was constantly around dancers when she was young. As a result, she says she has always had a strong affinity for that world.
Her first experience in acting was in the third grade when she participated in the play "Charlotte's Web."
"I had no interest in theater," Stimson says, "I don't know where it came from."
The following summer her mother told her to get out of the house, so she participated in a musical theater summer school course and found out that she loved it.
After that, she participated in the course every summer until high school.
"It was the best training I ever got because they made us do everything," Stimson says.
Stimson graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in theater, but knew she needed further training. She attended a three-year graduate acting program at the University of Iowa, where she eventually received a master's degree in theater. It was also at UI that she first experienced teaching as a part of the graduate program.
All through college she focused on perfecting her art, but she wanted to go beyond that. For her, she believed teaching would give her a fresh perspective on the world, the arts and herself.
At UI she also had the opportunity to work with avant-garde Director Anne Bogart and Playwright Keith Huff. This led her to an acting career in New York City and later, a tour with the Missoula Children's Theatre Company.
She began teaching theater at De Anza in 2000, but her love for acting goes far back into her childhood. She grew up around art and music. Her mother is a dance accompanist and pianist, while her father is a foreign language instructor.
She would accompany her mother to dance performances and was constantly around dancers when she was young. As a result, she says she has always had a strong affinity for that world.
Her first experience in acting was in the third grade when she participated in the play "Charlotte's Web."
"I had no interest in theater," Stimson says, "I don't know where it came from."
The following summer her mother told her to get out of the house, so she participated in a musical theater summer school course and found out that she loved it.
After that, she participated in the course every summer until high school.
"It was the best training I ever got because they made us do everything," Stimson says.
Stimson graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in theater, but knew she needed further training. She attended a three-year graduate acting program at the University of Iowa, where she eventually received a master's degree in theater. It was also at UI that she first experienced teaching as a part of the graduate program.
All through college she focused on perfecting her art, but she wanted to go beyond that. For her, she believed teaching would give her a fresh perspective on the world, the arts and herself.
At UI she also had the opportunity to work with avant-garde Director Anne Bogart and Playwright Keith Huff. This led her to an acting career in New York City and later, a tour with the Missoula Children's Theatre Company.
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