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Role at cfpaErika Squires will be taking on the role of the program coordinator for the Opportunity Creation Program for Emerging Theatre Artists, which will support the development of emerging theatre artists and underprivileged youth from Newfoundland and Labrador.
Erika Squires will also separately be employed as a new instructor at CFPA, starting in September, and will be teaching piano, voice, acting, and ukulele privately, as well as multiple group performance classes! We are so excited to welcome Erika to our team. |
biography
Erika Squires is a multi-faceted theatre artist and teacher from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. From a very young age Erika was passionate about theatrical performance- both performing onstage and working behind the scenes. Erika’s love of the many different aspects of theatre has helped her gain an understanding of the process as a whole- which is what she hopes to instill in the next generation of theatre artists!
She is currently studying English, with a specialization in Theatre and Drama, and the diploma in Stage and Screen Technique at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has also been trained as an ESL educator, for which she has worked as an English teacher for students in China in an online capacity over the past year. She has worked as a teachers assistant for the diploma in Screen and Stage technique at MUN. She is trained as an actor and director by Danielle Irvine, Justin Goulding, Megan Barnes, and she recently completed a comedia dell’arte workshop with Perry Schneiderman as a part of the Sandbox Series for Professional Development in 2019. Erika has been the co-Artistic Director of GroupHug Productions, alongside Nick Mandville, since 2018. Their focus is intersectional feminist theatre, being one of the only 2SLGBTQIA+ run theatre groups in St. John’s. Erika is also currently writing her first full-length play Baby with support from ArtsNL and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Erika believes she has been extremely fortunate to have worked for many companies across the province including Perchance Theatre, Women of Rock, MUN Drama, Best Kind Productions, Etcetera Productions, and (of course) Courtney Fowler Performance Academy! She is so grateful to be joining this team of amazing teachers, and hopes to spread her love of theatre with the next generation of aspiring artist!
She is currently studying English, with a specialization in Theatre and Drama, and the diploma in Stage and Screen Technique at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has also been trained as an ESL educator, for which she has worked as an English teacher for students in China in an online capacity over the past year. She has worked as a teachers assistant for the diploma in Screen and Stage technique at MUN. She is trained as an actor and director by Danielle Irvine, Justin Goulding, Megan Barnes, and she recently completed a comedia dell’arte workshop with Perry Schneiderman as a part of the Sandbox Series for Professional Development in 2019. Erika has been the co-Artistic Director of GroupHug Productions, alongside Nick Mandville, since 2018. Their focus is intersectional feminist theatre, being one of the only 2SLGBTQIA+ run theatre groups in St. John’s. Erika is also currently writing her first full-length play Baby with support from ArtsNL and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Erika believes she has been extremely fortunate to have worked for many companies across the province including Perchance Theatre, Women of Rock, MUN Drama, Best Kind Productions, Etcetera Productions, and (of course) Courtney Fowler Performance Academy! She is so grateful to be joining this team of amazing teachers, and hopes to spread her love of theatre with the next generation of aspiring artist!
Performance ExperienceUpcoming:
Horatio in Hamlet (Perchance Theatre, 2021) Elise in The Miser (Perchance Theatre, 2021) Past: Ophelia in Shakespeare in the Garden (Perchance Theatre, 2019) Julius Caesar (Perchance Theatre, 2019) Brooke in Be More Chill (Best Kind Productions, 2019) Disciple in Godspell (Etcetera Productions, 2019) Constance in Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (MUN Drama, 2018) Silly Girl in Beauty and the Beast (Rennies River, 2018) Elle in First Date (AD Productions, 2018) Jailers Daughter in Shakespeare in the Garden (Perchance Theatre, 2018) England in Red Rock (Best Kind Productions, 2018) Mary in Mary’s Wedding (MUN Drama, 2017) Bet in Oliver (Peter MacDonald Productions, 2017) Baker in Into the Woods (Peter MacDonald Productions, 2017) Polly in Impresario (Best Kind Productions, 2017) All Shook Up (Rennies River, 2016) Sally Brown in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (MPSH Drama, 2015) |
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Production experienceStage Manager for Our Eliza (Perchance Theatre, 2020)
Stage Manager for the Frosty Festival Opening Ceremonies (Women of Rock, 2020) Set Designer for the Shallaway Christmas Concert (Shallaway, 2019) Scheduling Stage Manager, Sound Designer and Marketing Assistant for the 2019 Season (Perchance Theatre, 2019) Director and Production Manager for Never Swim Alone (GroupHug Productions, 2019) Stage Manager for A Midsummer Nights Dream (Perchance Theatre, 2018) Assistant Stage Manager for The Seagull (Perchance Theatre, 2018) Assistant Stage Manager for Our Eliza (Perchance Theatre, 2018) Director for Salt-Water Moon (MUN Drama, 2018) Assistant Stage Manager for Shrek: The Musical (Etcetera Productions, 2014) Stage Manager for Godspell (Etcetera Productions, 2012) Costume Assistant for Cats (Etcetera Productions, 2011) |
Teaching philosophy
Written by Erika Squires
I am passionate about creating an inclusive and uplifting safe-space for all of my students to grow, play and collaborate with one another. As a teacher, here are the values that I hope to instill in each of my students:
Creation:
I believe in the power of creation and expression. Arts education allows all of us to express our ideas and process emotions. I believe creation is the realization of oneself- as such, instilling joy for creation is central to a child’s overall development.
Inclusion:
As an intersectional feminist, I hope to teach my students about inclusion in the arts and the importance of supporting marginalized voices. I will do this by highlighting diversifying art to study and offering a safe-space for marginalized students to feel supported throughout all of my classes. In turn this will create a future of young artists who have a deep understanding of the importance of inclusion in theatre and throughout all aspects of their lives!
Collaboration:
I strongly believe in the power of collaboration. As an artist, collaboration with my community is the backbone of all my work. As a teacher I strive to provide my students with the ability to collaborate, communicate and work with others. This will teach my students communication skills that they will be able to use throughout their lives.
Understanding:
I believe in a wholistic approach to theatre education. It is incredibly important, as an artist, to have an understanding of all of the different parts of your craft. My classes will extend on traditional teaching for children, which will educate our students about theatre as a whole and support emerging artists by offering them a space to develop all the skills necessary for artistic work in our province. Sparking joy for English literature is also extremely important to me- I hope that my students will be able to extend on their knowledge of modern and classic literature through artistic expression.
Confidence:
Most importantly, I hope to make my students feel confident and powerful through my teaching. I will do this by creating a supportive environment, teaching with positive reinforcement, and by putting my students in leadership roles. Through performance I hope to teach my students to be confident people who can take on the world!
Arts education is incredibly important, and instilling these values in my students is an investment in the artistic practice of tomorrow! It is so important to provide young artists with a platform to create, collaborate and learn. I am so proud to be a part of the CFPA family, and cannot wait to work with my students this year!
Creation:
I believe in the power of creation and expression. Arts education allows all of us to express our ideas and process emotions. I believe creation is the realization of oneself- as such, instilling joy for creation is central to a child’s overall development.
Inclusion:
As an intersectional feminist, I hope to teach my students about inclusion in the arts and the importance of supporting marginalized voices. I will do this by highlighting diversifying art to study and offering a safe-space for marginalized students to feel supported throughout all of my classes. In turn this will create a future of young artists who have a deep understanding of the importance of inclusion in theatre and throughout all aspects of their lives!
Collaboration:
I strongly believe in the power of collaboration. As an artist, collaboration with my community is the backbone of all my work. As a teacher I strive to provide my students with the ability to collaborate, communicate and work with others. This will teach my students communication skills that they will be able to use throughout their lives.
Understanding:
I believe in a wholistic approach to theatre education. It is incredibly important, as an artist, to have an understanding of all of the different parts of your craft. My classes will extend on traditional teaching for children, which will educate our students about theatre as a whole and support emerging artists by offering them a space to develop all the skills necessary for artistic work in our province. Sparking joy for English literature is also extremely important to me- I hope that my students will be able to extend on their knowledge of modern and classic literature through artistic expression.
Confidence:
Most importantly, I hope to make my students feel confident and powerful through my teaching. I will do this by creating a supportive environment, teaching with positive reinforcement, and by putting my students in leadership roles. Through performance I hope to teach my students to be confident people who can take on the world!
Arts education is incredibly important, and instilling these values in my students is an investment in the artistic practice of tomorrow! It is so important to provide young artists with a platform to create, collaborate and learn. I am so proud to be a part of the CFPA family, and cannot wait to work with my students this year!
