Decatur, Georgia, United States
I am passionate about building and empowering communities through sharing stories. Whether directing, teaching, or community organizing, my work is the same: community engagement, people management, and storytelling. I love building ensembles, bringing people together, and coordinating and empowering individuals to take collective action that is more than the sum of its parts. I graduated in 2020 from Boston University's MFA Directing program with a certificate in Arts Administration, where I directed six plays and taught undergraduate courses in both acting and public speaking. My recent directing credits include THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (Portland Shakespeare Project), Anna Ziegler's PHOTOGRAPH 51, Sarah B. Mantell's EVERYTHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED, MY FAIR LADY, CYMBELINE and INTIMATE APPAREL (Boston University), Laura Neill's WINTER PEOPLE (Boston Playwrights Theatre), LIFEBOAT (Corrib Theatre), BETWEEN FRIENDS (Sycamore Theatre Co @ The Brick), and LOVE'S LABOURS LOST (Post 5). Having graduated with a degree in Theater Studies and English from Yale University, I spent the next decade working as a community organizer and educator, and directing and assistant directing at theatres all around the United States including Lincoln Center Theater, Writers Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Denver Center of Performing Arts, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Portland Center Stage. I am also honored to be a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. Immediately prior to graduate school, I led community engagement strategy as the Field Director for the Colorado launch of Skillful, a Markle foundation initiative which works to promote skills-based hiring and opportunities for middle-skill workers across the workforce ecosystem. I now work at Georgia Institute of Technology, both as a lecturer and as a strategist for GT Arts, leading engagement strategy for the arts across campus, and building a new degree program at the intersection of arts, innovation, and creative technologies. www.avitalshira.com
Lead academic, research, and engagement strategy for Georgia Tech Arts.
Appointed in the School of Literature, Media and Communications, and also teaching a pilot course in the new School of Arts, Entertainment, and Creative Technologies. Taught Acting for Film in Spring 2024, and piloted a new public speaking course starting in Fall 2024, which I continue to teach as a section of LMC 3206. The pilot in the new school is called, "Leaders in Progress and Service in the Creative Industries," and examines questions of leadership at the intersection of arts and emerging technologies.
Leading the development of a new degree at the intersection of arts, entertainment and creative technologies. Developing campus-wide arts engagement strategy and overseeing the development and execution of multiple new programs related to that strategy, including Arts at Tech Community Salons, the Arts at Tech Catalyst Grants, and Arts at Tech Microgrants for students. Building partnerships with companies related to the creative industries to create robust pathways for developing student talent from training to employment that can meet creative industry needs and seize opportunities for innovation, especially as these industries are being disrupted by emerging technologies.
Lead the organization of New England's premiere student innovation and entrepreneurship conference. The February 2023 conference sold out two weeks in advance, and featured workshops produced in partnership with Tufts University and U Mass Lowell. There were nine mainstage speakers, including student founders, innovation leaders, and arts entrepreneurs, and the conference featured ten workshop offerings. www.ideacon2023.com
I run the 2022-2023 Creative Arts Competition, a yearlong challenge for arts startups at MIT.