Actor.
Story telling is key and being part of a story has always been exciting for me. I have been fortunate to work in theatre, tv, and commercials. This work has been fun and fulfilling. Whether it’s Shakespeare or a cell phone commercial, I am grateful for the people I have met and the relationships I have built from my acting work. As an actor I rely heavily on my Meisner-based technique, which I love sharing as a coach and teacher. I am the co-author of Applied Meisner for the 21st-century Actor.
Director.
George C. Wolfe said directing is preparing the perfect play for the perfect audience. From the process of conceiving a production with a creative team to the rehearsal and preview process, directing in theatre is one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had. Whether it is creating content for a corporate or non-profit organization, or mounting a play, directing has taught me about acting and helped me develop a more specific artistic aesthetic.
Professor.
Teaching is simply my favorite thing to do. When I was starting my career as an actor, I couldn’t have imagined finding the kind of fulfillment I experience training the next generation of actors. The apprenticeship model of the regional theatre that I experienced as a young actor have shaped my own teaching philosophy and I love to be a part of handing down the craft of acting and performing to the next generation and seeing the innovations they make which move this craft into the future.
Recent Publications
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Chapter Fifteen: Transformational Tactics Engaging Students in the Heroic Pursuit of Their Objective By Kim Shively
Shively expands on the work of Sanford Meisner through Point of View (POV), the lens through which a character sees the world, which transforms them into the hero of their own story and enables the actor to respond truthfully in the moment. This chapter chronicles a methodology of side-coaching, influenced by the Repetition exercise, which promotes tactical shifts. “Transformational Tactics: Engaging Students in the Heroic Pursuit of Their Objective” is valuable not only for scene study, but for auditions and on-camera acting.
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![Applied Meisner for the 21st Century Actor]()
By Kevin Otos and Kim Shively
Applied Meisner for the 21st-Century Actor develops Meisner’s core principles for the contemporary actor and presents a Meisner-based acting technique that empowers practitioners to take ownership of their own creative process.
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Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism
Education in Theatrical Intimacy as Ethical Practice for University Theatre by Susanne Shawyer and Kim Shively
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Teaching Acting in the Face of COVID-19: Designing Instruction for Variable Acting Studios
Hillary Haft Bucs, James Elliott, David Kaye, Matthew Mastromatteo, Tom Pacio, Valerie Clayman Pye, Kim Shively, and Gerritt VanderMeer
About Me
Thank you for stopping by!
You will quickly discover that I love teaching acting and working as an actor and director. My work as an IC and consultant fuels my research and passion for more equitable spaces. I am passionate about empowering others to communicate and create their own work.
Most importantly, I'm a wife, a mother and a friend. I always try to approach life as a curious beginner. This approach bleeds into my writing and creative endeavors. I hope you will follow me on instagram @kimbshively, follow Theatrical Intimacy Education @theatricalintimacyed, and Piedmont Shakespeare Company @pshakesnc, and join the creative conversation.