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The sixth Faculty Pub Night of the 2025-26 season features Stacey Cabaj, chairperson of theatre arts and associate professor of performance and pedagogy, and Andrea Odinov, clinical associate professor of voice and speech (College of Communication and Fine Arts). They will discuss their recent publication, "Lessons from our Students: Meditations on Performance Pedagogy."

About Faculty Pub Night

Students, staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the public are all invited to the 2025-26 series of Faculty Pub Night at the William H. Hannon Library. Eight LMU professors are selected annually to discuss their latest publication or project in a comfortable setting and format that welcomes diverse perspectives for an inclusive conversation aimed to educate the entire community. All Faculty Pub Nights are free and open to the public.

About the Authors' Work

"Lessons from our Students: Meditations on Performance Pedagogy" is a collection of thirty short personal case studies about pedagogical issues that arise in theater classrooms and rehearsals. Teaching in the acting and performance classroom is rapidly changing in the early 2020s. In the wake of the global pandemic, online education, massive trauma, and a social justice revolution, educators are seeking wisdom, clarity, and reassurance about their pedagogy. The authors speak to the current moment and the unique challenges of teaching theater by presenting a personal, practical, and authentic expression of vulnerability, humanity, and artistry as teachers. Through thirty personal meditations, the authors pose reflective questions and discussion prompts that evaluate the craft of teaching theater, issues that arise, and ideas about how to respond with vision and integrity. Accompanying exercises invite readers to reflect on their own teaching practices. This book serves as a text for theater teachers and teachers-in-training in search of inspiration, validation, and transformation in drama education and theater pedagogy classes.

About the Authors

Stacey Cabaj is a Canadian American actress, chair of theatre arts, and an associate professor of performance and pedagogy. At Loyola Marymount University, she has served as a Faculty Fellow of Mission and Identity, Associate Chair of Theatre Arts, and the Director of the MFA Performance Pedagogy Program. Prior to her tenure at LMU, she was on the graduate faculties of Louisiana State University and the University of Pittsburgh. Cabaj holds an M.F.A. in theatre pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.F.A. in musical theatre from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, as well as teaching certifications in the Meisner Approach to Acting, Meditation, Vibrant Voice Technique, and Vocal Yoga. Her discoveries in theatre classrooms and rehearsal halls inspired her first book, co-authored with Andrea Odinov, "Lessons from our Students: Meditations on Performance Pedagogy" (Routledge). As a performer, Stacey has sung, danced, and pranced all over the world. These days, you can hear her leading guiding meditations on the Breezy App, making plays and walking her dogs in Los Angeles. Stacey is an American Fellow in the AAUW, and a proud member of AEA, ATHE, and VASTA.

Andrea Odinov is a clinical associate professor of voice and speech at Loyola Marymount University, and a professional voice, speech, and dialect coach in Los Angeles, CA. In addition to private coaching for actors and public speakers, she has coached theatrical productions for: A Noise Within Theatre; The Geffen Playhouse; The Odyssey Theatre; Rogue Theatre Machine; Ghost Road Theatre Company; Antaeus Theatre Company; The Road Theatre Company; Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble; The Group Rep; 24th St. Theatre; Sea Glass Theatre Company; and Long Beach Playhouse. She is a Certified Lead Trainer of Fitzmaurice Voicework, a member of VASTA, SAG-AFTRA, and AEA, and holds an M.F.A from University of CA at Irvine.

About the William H. Hannon Library

The William H. Hannon Library fosters excellence in academic achievement through an array of distinctive services that enable learners to feed their curiosity, experience new worlds, develop their ideas, inform their decision-making, and inspire others. More information can be found at http://library.lmu.edu

For more information about this event, contact the Outreach and Engagement team at the William H. Hannon library via email at library.outreach@lmu.edu or call 310-338-5234.