Department of Theatre and Dance

• MFA –Theatre Performance and Pedagogy, Texas Tech University
• M.A. – French, Bowling Green State University
• B.A. – English/Drama, Franciscan University of Steubenville
• Level III Margolis Method Certified Educator
• Lessac Kinesensics Certified Trainer 

Elizabeth Parks is an actor, director, devisor, and voice and movement coach with fifteen years of experience teaching theatre and dance. She is a Level III Margolis Method Certified Educator, a designated Lessac Kinesensics Practitioner, and has trained with Theatre Nohgaku in the Kita School tradition of Noh theatre.  Her international work includes performances at Odin Teatret in Denmark and the Rhodopi Dramatichen Teatar in Bulgaria, and French studies at L'Université François Rabelais in Tours, France.

Elizabeth teaches Acting, Movement, and Voice and is a proponent of all things embodied, including her own pedagogy. As a teacher, she builds inclusive learning spaces that foster belonging, agency, and compassion. She uses critical and compassionate pedagogies and a multicultural approach to inspire students to create embodied and “embrained” performances. Her aim is to support all students on their path to becoming dynamic, 21st-century artists and creative leaders.

Her creative practice and research focus on the integration of Eastern and Western training practices, particularly Margolis Method, Noh, and Lessac Kinesensics to create socially engaged devised and pre-scripted works. She is currently developing a solo project, titled  Lady O.G., about the political activist, actor, and playwright Olympe de Gouges. 

Elizabeth is an active member of ATHE, ATME, VASTA, and the National Alliance of Acting Teachers. 

https://www.elizabethparks.org/

Creative Research

• Director/Devisor: Beautiful, Useful, True, Appalachian State University, Spring 2025
• Movement Director and Dialect Coach: Émilie : La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight, Appalachian State University, Fall 2024/ January 2025
• Noh Utai and Shimai Training with Teruhisa Oshima, Kinue Oshima, Richard Emmert, John Ogelvee,  Tokyo, Japan, 2024.
• Margolis Method Training Intensive, Margolis Method Center, Highlands Lake, NY, 2024.

Publications

• “Shoe Story : An Icebreaker with a Sole.” Professors at Play ONLINE PlayBook, Play Story Press, anticipated publication 2025.
• “Voice, Body, and Performance for the Noh Actor: A Keynote Conversation with Master Akira Matsui.” Voice and Speech Review, Taylor and Francis, anticipated publication 2025.
• Margolis Method: A New Paradigm for Embodiment, Craft, and Care in Performance, Routledge, anticipated publication in 2026/27.

Research Presentations

• “Compassion, Empowerment, and Co-creation: Epistemic Justice in Margolis Method and Lessac Kinesensics,” Arts + Change Virtual Conference, 2025.
•  “Emilie La Marquise Du Châtelet : a play by Lauren Gunderson.” Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian 2024, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, 2025.
• “Bringing  Émilie: La Marquise du Châtelet to Life on Stage,” Global Symposium, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, 2024.
• “Neurodiversity, Kinesensics, and the Need for Compassionate Equity in Performer Training.” In/Corporate Voice, 2024 Voice and Speech Trainer’s Association Virtual Symposium, 2024.
• “A Keynote Conversation with Akira Matsui.” In/Corporate Voice, 2024 Voice and Speech Trainer’s Association Virtual Symposium, 2024.
• “Building Resilience through Theatre: Showing Up for Yourself,” Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Atlanta, GA, 2024.
• “Consent Across the Curriculum: Acting Classroom Best Practices,” Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Atlanta, GA, 2024.
• “Kinesensics as Compassionate and Contemplative Pedagogy.” Kinesensic Connections, Lessac Training and Research Institute. Online, 2024. 
• Amplifying Intentionality: Margolis Method as Intervention in Beginning Acting Curricula, 3^rd International Margolis Method Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 2023.
• Tools for Actor Care and Character Development, Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Austin, TX, 2023.
• Care-Centered Feedback for High-Impact Assessment, Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Austin, TX, 2023.