Course of Life
Tisch Gala, 2018
education
New York University, Tisch School of the Arts — Master of Fine Arts
Musical Theatre Writing / Composition
Robert Tisch Dean’s Fellowship Recipient
Florida A & M University — Bachelor of Science
Music Education/Voice
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (Education based)
Diversity Training
The Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond - Tallahassee, FL
1st Annual The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice - Philadelphia, PA
Border Crossers - New York, NY
2nd Annual The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice - Philadelphia, PA
Project Based Learning (PBL) - New York
Inquiry
Inquiry Defined
Effective Questioning Techniques
Shades of Inquiry
Planning
Narrowing the Field: What to Include
PBL Planning Process and Resources
PBL as a Means for Integrating the Arts
Project Based Learning (PBL) and the Arts
How to Develop Driving Questions
From Planning to Project: Your (Best) Next Move
Creating and Using Authentic Assessments
Reflections and Celebrations
Establishing Partners to Support your Projects
How to Address Challenges
Building in Time for Reflections and Celebrations
Social/Emotional Learning (SEL)
Group Building - New York, NY
Stress Reduction - New York, NY
Self Awareness - New York, NY
Self Management - New York, NY
Understanding the Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset Language for Communication - New York, NY
The Power of Belief - New York, NY
Growth Mindset development - New York, NY
Village Theatre in Issaquah, WA
Experience
Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston, MA 2020 - Present
Professor of Theatre,
Race, Identity, and Performance
Expand beyond dramatic literature course to broader engagement with performance. Continue in seeking the inclusion of a range of topics including power structures, discrimination, traditional and adaptive culture, equality, stereotypes, privilege, and race as a social construct. Include more discussion of current challenges and practices in contemporary theater regarding racial identity. “Practical and honest look at issues of race in American theater in 2020 from the performers perspective.”
Entrepreneurship for the Theatre Artist
Even with today’s uncertainty, society is searching for new ways of thinking and entrepreneurship is the preferred method of change. It would be an understatement to say that these are exciting times for the entrepreneur and as individual artists, each of us is an entrepreneur; we are our own business. Please note that this is not a business course -- though aspects of "business" are covered. Rather, it is premised on the idea that entrepreneurship is a series of individually negotiated moments that have consequences over time. This negotiation results from a tension between internal and external forces. Thus, in this class, we will not attempt to define entrepreneurship other than the description above with the understanding that you are the said business and/or enterprise. We will, instead, attempt to understand the forces that lead us to an entrepreneurial path.
We will explore the individual power of entrepreneurship in the context of the arts and an arts-based career.
Contemporary Musical Scene Study
With the analysis of Musical Theatre forms and structures provided by producer and senior vice president of Jujamcyn Theaters, which owns and operates five Broadway theaters, as a foundation we seek to examine the structural magic of Musical theatre writing with an eye toward the evolution and diversification. We seek to continue the musical theater scene work that began in Musical Theater 5 and 6 with a more detailed and in-depth look at shows from the last two decades, including works by notable composers/lyricists Jason Robert Brown, Jeanine Tesori, Pasek and Paul, Lin Manuel Miranda, and others.
Pop, Rock, and Music of the Contemporary Mainstream
Building on the work in prior Musical Theater labs, students immerse themselves in solo performance as actors and musicians. Genres will include pop/rock, Country, Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, and genre influenced by Hip-Hop culture.. Song options will be submitted by students with guidance from faculty, with final choices workshopped in class over the course of the semester.
The Clever Agency I thecleveragency.co.uk
Senior Partner, Media Strategist, Community Outreach Manager
The Clever Agency is a digital multimedia marketing agency comprised of a motley crew of award-winning creatives, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists with expertise in media production, arts and culture, and brand strategy offering services in Video Production, Publishing, Design, Campaign Development Strategy, and Website Design.
Composed and produced all commercial music for marketing campaigns and media based projects
Managing 10 freelance and part-time artists, designers, and art educators while creating marketing campaigns for emerging creative artists
Produced marketing material for Inwood House’s 2014 gala, helping to raise $625,000 towards serving young people and their families
Producing promotional videos and social media strategies for companies including The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund and The Foundation for Art in Motion
Managing relationships with clients and art educators teaching at The Children’s Aid Society and New York Mission Society
959Group
Founding Partner/Creative Producer
959 Group is a theatrical development, production and investment strategy LLC. Its current portfolio includes Josh Groban's Broadway debut in "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812” (nominated for twelve Tony awards - winner of two and winner of four Drama Desk Awards) as well as "Bottle Shock The Musical" based on the 2008 film of the same name, and "Looking For Christmas", the new musical based on country superstar Clint Black's best-selling Christmas album (2018 World Premiere at the Old Globe in San Diego).
Produced and secured enhancement for new original works
Secured minority investment portfolio for the Broadway production of “Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812”
Serving as co-producer on “Looking for Christmas”, an original theatrical work with award-winning country recording artist, Clint Black
Serving as Music Supervisor for “Looking For Christmas” Words and Music by Clint Black
Brooklyn Prospect Charter School
Windsor Terrace Middle School (2017-2020)
Authored and implemented curriculum design rooted in the International Baccaleaurate pedagogy for 7th & 8th Grade “Fundamentals of Musical Theatre”
Implemented and advised students using Social Emotional Learning (SEL) platforms
Wrote, directed, and produced original productions for culminating Event(s) of the Year (EOY)
Renegade Performance Group | www.renegadepg.com
Board Member, Former Company Manager/Technical Director
Renegade Performance Group is a Brooklyn-based dance company exploring urban artistic aesthetics and expressions through dance theatre, visual performance, and film/media.
Served as resident composer/music director on multiple projects
Served as Company Manager domestic and international tours
Served as technical director
Burwell & Sasser I burwellandsasser.com
Founding Partner/ Composer-Lyricist
Burwell & Sasser is a film and theater based writing tandem who’s work includes CUBAMOR, an official selection of the Village Theatre's 2016 Beta Series and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s 2013 New Works Festival; Bottle Shock- based on the 2008 movie- featured at the NAPA Valley Opera House; and the new children’s musical Beautiful Game about soccer legend Pele commissioned by Making Books Sing. Their songs have been heard at venues including Lincoln Center, the Napa Valley Opera House, 54 Below at Studio 54, The 3Napa Valley Film festival, and Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater in New York.
Film and Theater based writing tandem
Served as Composer/Lyricist for 5 full length original works
Secured as Creative Producers for several original works
Secured multiple New Works Residencies and commissions
Prophecy Music Project
Co-Founder/Projects - Administrator/Arts in Education Consultant
Prophecy Music Project is an ensemble of professional dancers and musicians dedicated to the performance, practice and preservation of traditional African and African Diaspora music and dance. Prophecy's talented members have dedicated their artistic lives not only to performing the music and dance forms of the African Diaspora but also to sharing those forms and educating the public about them as well. Having studied and performedtogether for over 12 years, the group has mastered genres of music from all over the Afro Atlantic. With a repertoire that includes music forms from
African, Afro Caribbean, and Afro Latin American percussion, to the blues, and African American spirituals, Prophecy Music Project traces the African roots of rhythms, music, dance and folklore found in American, African American, Caribbean, and South American cultures.
Drafted multiple grant proposals ranging from $5-$25K for funding while representing the organization at national arts council conferences
Worked with over 150 young people and their families, providing arts education programs funded by the Mid-Atlantic Foundation
Acted as International Projects Logistics Coordinator procuring travel arrangements, creating calendars, designing performance layouts, staffing, and projecting the necessary budgets
Customized general announcements to artist while exhibiting strong organizational/management skills with an adherence to details and deadline
Authored educational components for Arts-in-Education presentations and Lecture
Demonstrations
The Ailey School/Fordham University,
Lecturer of Musical Theatre / Musician, New York, 2000-2016
Collaborated with/accompanied master teachers and acclaimed choreographers while acquiring an understanding of various dance pedagogies (Graham-based Modern, Cunningham, Horton, Jazz, Tap, West African, Hip-Hop)
Taught 70 students annually in various vocal disciplines of Musical Theatre, (legit/non-legit)
Authored and implemented “Fundamentals of Musical Theater” and “Audition Techniques” curricula for the professional division (Fordham BFA) incorporating historical analysis and practical (Actor’s Equity themed) audition techniques
Co-authored 10 lecture demonstrations on the music of standard Alvin Ailey repertoire
Created an interview series with invited guest (Broadway performers, music directors, choreographers) offering their personal insight into allowing for the techniques acquired through scholarship toward its practical application
Summit Academy Charter School/Asase Yaa Center For The Arts,
Faculty, New York 2012-13
Authored and implemented “Theater Arts” curriculum for the ninth grade class.
Introduced Vocal/Choreographic elements as they pertained to various musical theater pieces
Staged and directed the ninth grade production of “Hairspray”
Private Vocal Studio,
Instructor/Vocal Coach, New York, 2000-2014
Taught non-Legit/Legit Musical Theater, Jazz, Pop, Classical vocal techniques for practical application
Maintained a studio of active Broadway performers, classical singers, and recording artists
Created and implemented a pedagogy aimed at developing the voices of concert, regional, and Broadway dancers while incorporating choreographic elements
Implemented Bel Canto technique principles into contemporary musical idioms directed at limiting vocal strain/fatigue for the professional multi-genre vocalist
Trenton Education Dance Institute,
Teaching Artist/Music Director/Composer Trenton, NJ 2002-2009
Taught approximately 2000 students over 7 years across 6 sites
Created, with the artistic director and classroom teachers, a curriculum based score culminating in a citywide end-of-year (EOY) performance
Composed (w/ lyrics) and recorded multiple EOY performances including “The Green Album”, the original score for the children’s musical of the same name that accompanied the Trenton, NJ Conservation Initiative
National Dance Institute,
Teaching Artist/In-School Music Director, New York, NY 2002-2009
Taught more than 1,000 students across 8 sites
Conceptualized, in collaboration with classroom teachers, a curriculum based musical score to accompany the New York Public School students’ End of the Year performance.
Composed original music that was featured in the HBO documentary - Jacques D’Amboise in China -THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD directed by Anthony Avildsen
Facilitated summer intensives that explored the relationship between music, theatre, and dance
Urban Bush Women,
Performer/ SLI Music Director/Composer, New York, 1999-2003, 2007-2008,
Co-facilitated conflict resolution-based arts education programs for more than 100 youth and families in New Haven, CT
Served as Music Director of the UBW Summer Leadership Institute (SLI)
Performed as a aux dancer, musician, vocal director on tour
Supervised vocal auditions
AFFILIATIONS
American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers (ASCAP),
Ars Nova,
Black Male Educators for Social Justice,
National Youth Leadership Council - Congressional Scholar,
Dramatist Guild of America,
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation*,
The Mint Theater,
New Jersey Council on the Arts*,
New York Dance and Performance Awards (the BESSIES)-selection committee 2018-20,
National Alliance of Musical Theater (NAMT),
National Performance Network (NPN),
New Jersey Performing Arts Center,
Pennsylvania Council of the Arts*,
Pennsylvania Performing Artists on Tour*,
Pew Fellowship Recipient,
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia,
*via Prophecy Music Project
Broadway opening of “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812”
endeavours
Lectures, residencies, grants, fellowships, and commissions
2022 Frank Young Fund for New Musicals,
National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT)
“Bottle Shock! The Musical” by Burwell & Sasser
California Center for the Arts, Escondido - Escondito, CA
2021 Black Religion, Spirituality, and Culture Conference
Ayibobo! Dancing Deities in the Diaspora: Danced Religions of Afrikan Diasporic Spiritual-Religious Traditions
Harvard University - Cambridge, MA
2020 Collegium for African Diaspora Dance
Collaborative Strategies in Black Performance - Academic Paper
Duke University - Durham, NC
2019 Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist
American Theatre Wing
2018 NYC Musikmarathon Mattighofen, Austria
Advanced Singers workshop
Master Instructor
2016 Art Saves Lives; SInt Maarten
Musical Theatre Lecturer
Brooklyn Arts Council 2015 Grant Recipient
Renegade Performance Group
The AFROFUTURISM Series
Producer/Composer
National Alliance of Musical Theater
26th Annual Festival of New Musicals Selection at NEW WORLD STAGES
“CUBAMOR”
Composer
The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage Fellowship 2014 -recipient
“Pushers” - Composer
w/Iquail Shaheed, Tarell Alvin McCraney and Daniel Carlton
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
2013 New Works Festival Selection
“CUBAMOR”
Lyrics/Music Composition
Ars Nova UNCHARTED Resident Artist 2012 - 2014
“Bottle Shock”
w/ James D. Sasser
Composer
Bates College Dance Festival Young Dancers Workshop
Teaching Artist, Musician,
Lewiston, ME; 2009-2011
Accompanist/Composer
Bethlehem Musik Fest
World Music Symposium Panelist, Bethlehem,PA; 2007
New Perspectives in African Performing and Visual Arts - American Djembe: Oral Histories from the Mouths of the Community Co-Presenter,
Ohio University: Athens, OH; 2007
The Clarke Forum on Social Change, The African Roots of Hip Hop
Lecturer
Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA; 2007
African Percussion Roots in American Music
Lecturer
University of Pennsylvania at Johnstown, Johnstown, PA; 2007
African Cultural Arts Lecture Series
Lecturer
West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Parkersburg, WV; 2006
African Percussion Roots in American Music
Lecturer / Performer
Concorde College, Athens, WV 2005, 2006
Florida Humanities Advisory Council: “The Humanities: Therapy In an Age of Uncertainty”
Lecturer
Bethune-Cookman University Daytona, FL; 2003
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State
Cairo Opera House Ballet and Modern Dance Company
Music Director, Lecturer, Panelist
Cairo, Egypt; 2003
Artist-in-Residence
Lincoln Center Institute, New York, NY
Demonstrator for Arts Education 2002-2003
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Jazz Program: Interim Music Director Becket, MA; 2001
Urban Bush Women
Performer / Music Director / Composer 1999-2003, 2007-2008,
ORIGINAL WORKS
“BY GEORGES! A Day In The Life of the Legendary Chevalier de Saint Georges” (2023)
Book, Music & Lyrics by Burwell & Sasser
Commissioned by Lamplighters Music Theatre (2022)
“Bottle Shock” (2023)
Music & Lyrics - C.V. Burwell; Book & Lyrics - J. D. Sasser
Developed and/or performed at:
California Center for the Arts, Escondido (2022 - 2023)
Produced by FOGG Theatre and 959Group (2015 - 2016)
Z Space, San Francisco (2016 )
Ars Nova UNCHARTED series (residency 2013 - 2015)
“Le Comte Noire” (2020)
Music and Lyrics C.V. Burwell - Book and Lyrics J.D. Sasser
Developed by Manhattan School of Music
Featured on Broadway on Demand
“O Jogo Bonito” (2020)
Music, Lyrics and Book - C.V. Burwell & J.D. Sasser
in development
“MITTE” (2020)
Music, Lyrics and Book - C.V. Burwell & J.D. Sasser
in development
“Looking For Christmas” (2018)
Music & Lyrics - Clint Black; Book - C.V. Burwell & J.D. Sasser
Music Supervision - C.V. Burwell
Developed and Produced by Clint Black and 959Group
Premiered at Old Globe Theatre, 2018
“Le Comte Noir” (2015)
Music, Lyrics and Book - C.V. Burwell & J.D. Sasser
Initial Development:
TheaterWorks Silicon Valley (2015)
“Bamboula” (2015-16)
w/ Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble
Choreography - Millicent Johnnie; Composer - C.V. Burwell
“Fire on the Mountain” E-Moves @Harlem Stage (2015)
w/ Renegade Performance Group (RPG)
Choreography - Andre M Zachery
Composer - C.V. Burwell Sound Design - Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste
Prelude Festival @ CUNY Graduate Center, NY (2017)
Catch 74 @ Invisible Dog Art Center, Brooklyn (2017)
E-Moves @ Harlem Stage (commissioned and premiered in 2015)
“Arteries of a Nation” @ Brooklyn Bridge Park (2013)
w/ Andre M Zachary/Renegade Performance Group (RPG)
- recipient of LAS/BAF Brooklyn Arts Council Grants (2013)
Composer - C.V. Burwell
“CUBAMOR” (2011)
Music & Lyrics - C.V. Burwell; Book & Lyrics - J. D. Sasser
Developed and/or performed at:
Village Theater Issaquah (2015 - 2016)
Produced by Village Theater and 959Group
TheaterWorks Silicon Valley (2013),
New York Live Arts (2012),
New Works Festival
National Alliance of Music Theater at New World Stages
NYU Tisch School of the Arts (2010-11),
“Huntington” (2011)
Music - C.V. Burwell; Book & Lyrics - J. Cowperthwait
Developed and/or performed at:
NYU Tisch School of the Arts (2010-11)
“The Green Album” (2008)
Music & Lyrics - C.V. Burwell; Book, Choreography - Dufftin Garcia
Developed and/or performed at:
War Memorial Auditorium in collaboration with Trenton Education Dance Institute
Personal Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Throughout my professional career I have held the belief that diversity and creative identity were instrumental to the fashioning of a well-rounded artist. The core of my teaching philosophy is centered on the recognition that the performing arts, particularly those that contribute, though not exclusively, to musical theatre is a varied collection of art forms whose realm of study quite naturally extends into the multitude of disciplines that define today’s performing artists. With this as a foundation, I incorporate scholarly analysis and professional production experience into my lessons. My teaching places emphasis on “balance” and “diversity” as an ideological and practical means of allowing young performers to find their own artistic voice responsibly rather than attempting to define it for them. I have found that an understanding of balance leads to a belief that, figuratively, there are at least two sides to any equation and offers them a wider sense of perspective in terms of discovery and problem solving. I have come to appreciate that this process can be as organic as it is structured.
Growth Mindset
There is much to be said about embracing a “Culture of Error” in which challenge and struggle are tools in which “getting it wrong” can be used as a means of “getting it right” (Lemov). Thus, if “trial and error” is a necessary element of the learning process then one can deduce that failure is a necessary element as well. It is in this spirit that I would conclude that we, as products of our environments who are beholden to our aspirations, tend to learn more from our failures than from our successes - failure teaches us in ways that success cannot. As artists, we tend to devote an inordinate to immense degree of brain power analyzing our own abilities as well as those of our peers (often in relationship to one another); abilities that are often referred to, somewhat incorrectly in my estimation, as talent. In my practice I tend to dismiss the notion of the “Fixed Mindset” wherein talent, intelligence, and aptitude are innate factors in favor of the “Growth Mindset” which fosters a belief in each and every individual that these aforementioned traits can be acquired with optimism, self-determination, and a solid work ethic. This places a premium on those who “dare to dream”. In this, I wholeheartedly agree with Debbie Millman’s assertion that “If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve.”
Project Based Learning (PBL)
I am a strong advocate of student-based pedagogies that center on diverse, active, and exploratory approaches to learning with emphasis on practical application. Project Based Learning “prepares students for academic, personal, and career success while preparing them
to rise to the challenges in their lives in consideration of the worldly realities that they will inherit” (Buck Institute for Education - BIE).
Multi-disciplinary Progressivism
This constructed term I define as the application of multiple art forms operating in synchronicity for the advocacy of societal improvement by reform. In my research I have accepted that the collaborative performing arts, musical theatre and performance art in particular, maintain and continue to build upon their interdisciplinary origins; such has been the case since well before the term “Musical Theatre” or “Performance Art” was coined. As an intersection of music, dialogue/acting, and dance, it requires its practitioners and creators to develop an understanding of the historical context of the many individual art forms that conspire to define the form. It is pertinent that students, in true liberal arts fashion, recognize and understand the many philosophies that contribute to the art forms as we know them to be, today. Vocalist, for example, must retain the ability to intellectualize and internalize the dramaturgy of a song or scene in order to communicate intention successfully - therein lay the artistry. Note-worthy dancers, similarly, retain an ability to apply musicality and theatricality, while respected actors are aware of how they move through space with an understanding of the sonic landscape that they utilize in their application of character. These “collaborations of art forms” can be utilized as tools to forward the philosophies of creative artists as principle purveyors of culture provided the artistic lens is relevant to present day society or an expanded societal outlook.
Critical Thinking
As is so often the case, the difference between satisfactory and outstanding performance is the level of investigation devoted to understanding the external factors that result in the molding of an interesting character. This can only happen by examining these subjects beyond the surface level of investigation. It is my intention to allow for students to account for that which the audience cannot see in an effort to create believable characters who reside within clear and complete environments, regardless of the rules that govern them. . Through dialogue and assignment, students will acquire an arsenal of tools necessary to illustrate a sense of intention that may be absent, on the surface, from the dialogue or lyric of the page.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
As the academy has, so often, turned to the arts to culturally identify a people at various points in their/our evolution, I have fostered the belief that art cannot exist in a bubble. This includes the bubble that had trended toward defining the various art forms that negated the influence of Hip-Hop as a cultural medium (Pre-“Hamilton”). Culture, particularly that of social, ethnic, and gender identifying minorities has contributed significantly to the American landscape and, subsequently, the arts that allude to it. Within the sociopolitical climate of the day, I find it of great importance that students are given the opportunity to openly address issues of religion, race, social politic, sexual/gender-based identity, and any of the disputed issues of the day that define us as a people with the condition of their having applied sound research to fortify their perspectives. I choose to factor and incorporate these variables of identity into my teaching practice. As a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, I share its belief that young artists and scholars must have opportunities to incubate their ideas, both, inside and outside the safe haven of the academy in dialectic with real world issues and problems that,
often, present themselves at the intersections our infinite identities and ideologies that share space.
Maintaining Relevance
I’ve found that the value of a lesson resides in it’s relevance. As the world changes, so do the ways in which we, the artists, tell stories. In fostering the importance of technique within our artistry, I, in tandem with my students, seek to continuously expand the definition of “craft” so that it can consistently include the artistic expression of the day. One of my lessons, for example, is entitled: “Utilizing Bel Canto principles in the Hip-hop age. This practical application was designed to enable ‘Chopper Style’ rappers increase their length of phrasing”. As, both, a classically trained singer and hip-hop lyricist I found that art forms such as musical theater and interdisciplinary performance art can continue to develop beyond the boundaries of niche to include audiences who have, in the past, found themselves excluded by what had become a narrowing demographic; all while adhering to a worthy set of standards that has been dictated by the audiences who now find themselves adequately represented.
Theory and Practice
The transition between the “theory” of the classroom/studio and the “practice” as applied in the very real, rather than that of idealized, world can often seem daunting; particularly (though not exclusively) for young adults entering the field. I continue to believe that “theory” can only be implemented objectively through “practice”. Even in private techniques sessions I have been known to incorporate problem solving exercises with the intention of putting their theories to trial or, if successful, good use. These exercises may be augmented by imposing various unforeseen obstacles to replicate the potential pitfalls of the world beyond the sanctity of an organized classroom/studio.
Summary
My experience of teaching at multiple levels has afforded me the opportunity to apply aforementioned concepts to varying degrees based on the developmental levels. For example, Project Based Learning (PBL) significantly influenced my curricula designed for the grade levels while implementing a Growth Mindset amongst my adult students proved to be greatly influential (and challenging) with my adult students.
I foster a firm belief that the performing arts, whether conceptual (heady) or tangibly substantive (grounded), retain relevance by maintaining a creative synchronicity that straddles the practical lives of humanity alongside the aspiration virtues of our shared or unshared ideologies. My primary goal is and will continue to be, simply, to encourage students to expand beyond the limits of singularity in the application of technique and concept in order to actualize their desired goals with a product that communicates honesty, accessibility, and engagement. Recognizing that today’s arts may, in fact, become tomorrow’s sciences, I strive to promote efficient, yet, creative ways to tell stories through the performing arts in the enhancement of today’s and tomorrow’s emerging artistic voices for their, and posterity’s, sake.