Pablo Guerra-Monje MA, MFA
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY - ARTIST STATEMENT
The art I practice is producing and teaching theatre at the university level. I have spent most of my life in education in studying and teaching, and it is where I thrive. I decided to pursue my art at a US University because of its opportunities for hands-on learning and real-world application, as well as technical proficiency and Innovation are unparalleled. My work evolved from sculpture to installation and then to theatre; from volume to space, and then to time-space creation. Through this process I discovered the power of collaboration and the joy of working with other theatre artists, educators, and students. I became fascinated with the possibilities of theatre to shape the future of students and practitioners. Thus, I encourage all my students to develop their artistic identity, rooted in knowledge of the theatre process. My unique personal blend of compassion, energy, and expertise fosters the expression of ideas in a carefully curated and technically supported environment—promoting rigor, integrity, and kindness.
As a designer and educator, my art is divided between the stage and the classroom. I explore the theatre's brutal resilience and strength, its immediacy, its complex simplicity, and its simultaneous connection to both the intellectual and the sacred. I believe that theatre will play a significantly more important role in restoring the human interaction as we lose daily contact in the digital era. As a scholar and conceptual thinker, my primary interest lies in the potential of theatre as a tool for connection and social construction, extending beyond academia.
A comprehensive understanding of theatrical creation from every angle of production, along with the implications of communication and documentation at each step of the collaborative process, thus enables me to enjoy the art of theatre fully. I consider myself and my students to be strong assets in creating memorable theatre.
I also teach theatre possibilities. As most jobs of the future have not yet been invented, future theatre forms and applications are only starting to be devised. I aspire to provide students with vision, flexibility, and design tools to enter this new chapter and contribute to the ultimate collaborative art.
We mostly study the actors in search of the secret of their inevitable predisposition for theatre. Any designer with a thirst for the stage, comparable to that of an actor, is destined for greatness. We learn that the playwright gives us all we need to know. We study how the director can see the big picture in the details. Any designer who understands the consequences of a director's choice is destined for greatness. We study the process, so we don’t feel lost in the collaboration. We study the spaces and how theatre can make those feel like home. We study techniques and materials to inform our designs. We answer the question of how art, applied arts, and architecture can help tell stories. We imagine the possibilities, predict scenarios, and consider how design can better serve the future of theatre.