Accomplished New York City-based artistic director gives master class

Carl Cofield, associate artistic director for The Classical Theatre of Harlem, an award-winning director, actor and lecturer at Yale and Columbia universities, gave a virtual master class that focused on heightened language and styles to eight B.F.A. students at Fredonia in February.

“We read about some directors being ‘an actor's director’ – I believe Carl is one of them,” said Department of Theatre and Dance Professor Paul Mockovak. “He brings an outside eye from his educational and professional realm that supports, encourages and stimulates the actors' growth. He reiterated most if not all of the elements of craft that serve as building blocks for working on and presenting material,” Mr. Mockovak said.

Mr. Cofield, an award-winning director who has an M.F.A. from Columbia, connects with the actors in his productions as well as the students in his class in a very clear way, Mockovak added.

“As a person of color successfully navigating through artistic circles, Carl has a world view as someone deeply human, compassionate and articulate about where we are, where we need to be and how to continue to get there,” Mockovak said.

Students attending the master class included Jack Bausch, a junior majoring in Musical Theatre from Pittsford; Alexa Kartschoke, senior, Acting, Williston, Vt.; Mitch Pelissier, senior, Acting, Rochester, N.Y.; Nigel Reynolds, junior, Musical Theatre, Beacon; Noelya Richardson-Simo, senior, Acting, New York City; Alissa Rojas, junior, Musical Theatre, East Meadow; Jennifer Sanchez, junior, Musical Theatre, Bellerose; and Chloe Williams, first-year, Acting, Buffalo.

A student lauded Cofield for striking a wonderful balance between imparting his own expertise in the class and getting students to be a part of the experience in a collaborative way.

Based in New York City, Cofield’s credentials include directing the award-winning world premiere of “One Night in Miami,” for which he received the Los Angeles N.A.A.C.P. award for Best Director. His directing credits at The Classical Theatre of Harlem, a professional theatre company that reimagines the classics and develops new works, include critically acclaimed productions of “The Bacchae,” “Antigone,” “Macbeth,” “The Tempest” and “Dutchman.”

Professor Mockovak noted that bringing an accomplished actor and award-winning director to a master class at Fredonia is an example of students receiving solid training in acting and musical theatre so that they can expand into different styles.