Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President

Faculty Spotlight

Fanni Green

Name

Fanni Green

College

Visual and Performing Arts

Department

School of Theatre and Dance

Undergraduate Degree

B. A. in Commucations/Theatre

From

University of South Florida

Graduate Degree

MFA

From

New York University

Previous Post(s)

Guest Professor/ Guest Artist

The Juilliard School; Yale School of Drama; Eugene Lang College

Area of Specialization

Professional Actor – Broadway; Off-Broadway; Regional Theatre

Current Research

Currently I am in a partnership with a professor from Special Education. We received a grant from Hillsborough County to work with the Carl Sagan Academy school, a charter school in here in Tampa. We are conducting weekly workshops for this academic year (’07-’08), focusing on self-esteem issues with 7th & 8th grade girls. Also, I continue to work in the voice over industry. I maintain a private vocal/speech coaching practice for hire. I direct USF Theatre Productions (the last was Crumbs from the Table of Joy in 2006). I am a playwright, poet, and storyteller.

Current Course Offerings

Voice Preparation for the Actor; Scene Study; Audition Workshop; Writing for the Theatre; Solo & Duet Performance

What made you decide to pursue a career in higher education?

My former USF Acting teacher/director, Paul Massie, called me one spring day in ’95 and asked if I’d be interested in coming to USF to teach an acting workshop and direct a project. Out of the blue he called, and out of nowhere I said ,”Yes”. I came for a semester; I loved the experience, I took to teaching and teaching became me. When the semester ended I returned to NYC and to acting. Two years later he called again, with the news that he was retiring and asked if I would be interested in applying for his post. I did, and here I am, ten years later. It was Paul’s constant encouragement that led me to pursue my dream of an acting career in the first place. And it was his gentle voice, calling out to me and saying, “You’ve got lot’s to give back” that brought into the classroom/studio.

Why did you choose to be a part of the academic community at USF?

I returned to USF because Tampa/St. Petersburg is where I was born and raised, and because USF is my alma mater.

What do you enjoy about teaching the students of USF?

I most enjoy the insatiable energy and unending curiosity of the students. The students I have taught come armed with their technological know-how and their cell phones, and their savvy, But I learn over and over again from them, that they come to USF simply to practice how to be human—to make connections; they come to try out how they thusly fit into and thusly can change the world.

What do you like about the university community?

I most like that the USF community reaches past the vast university grounds, into the regional campuses, into the secondary schools, into the performing art centers of the bay area, into several area businesses to coach clients vocal production and public presentations. I like the international programs and exchanges. I most like that the University community allows me to be myopic and produce integral work, on campus, or to broaden my vision and collaborate with colleagues anywhere.