Diego Arciniegas
Associate Teaching Professor in Theatre Studies
Focused on suiting the word to the action and the action to the word.
I'm fascinated by how emotion enhances the creation of knowledge. I am particularly interested in the exploring the role that instinct and feeling play in informing decision making My work with students is dedicated to integrating personal passion with intellectual understanding, to encouraging thought corroborated by, but not overcome with, feeling, and to the free expression of feeling informed, but not constrained, by thought.
I am artistic director of The Publick Theatre in Boston. I recently directed Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee, and Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones, for the Publick Theatre.
I also recently directed From Orchid’s to Octopii: An Evolutionary Love Story , by Wellesley's Melinda Lopez. This new play, commissioned by the National Institute of Health, and produced by Underground Railway Theatre, celebrates the bicentennial of the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species . Orchids opened at the Bethesda Theatre, Maryland, in then played at the Central Square Theatre in Cambridge.
I am also an actor, and recently played Voltaire in Karen Zacharías’ play Legacy of Light at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston.
Education
- B.A., Williams College
Current and upcoming courses
"Real World" Experience On and Off Stage
THST104
Exposing students to the live theatre in the Boston area and encouraging lively discussion of the productions is the focus of this introductory course. Scripts will be read and rigorously analyzed in the classroom. Women's presence in the arts, contemporary issues as seen on stage and the history of theatre in society will all be addressed by the group.The syllabus will be fluid and drawn from classical, musical and contemporary offerings each year. Visiting artists in all the disciplines will augment discussions. Attendance at productions will be arranged for Thursday evenings and paid for by the Theatre Program. This is an opportunity to have a hands on, up close and personal interaction with those who write, design, direct and act in the theatre.
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Voice and Movement
THST217H
This course will give students the tools and skills to develop a character either from the outside in, using movement, or from the inside out, using the voice. Basing vocal and physical techniques from Kristin Linklater's "Freeing the Natural Voice" and Constantine Stanislavsky's "Building a Character", students will discover the use of their voice and body as instruments for story telling. Class work will focus on both individual and group work, with particular attention given to layering voice and movement with text to create vivid fully developed characters.