A few testimonials from those who have worked with me before:
Nancy Lowery Powell, Actor:
_I have had the pleasure and the honor of working with Starshine Stanfield and it was a remarkable experience. Starshine is intelligent and insightful and, in all ways, professional. As a director she created a collaborative environment where the actors felt safe to explore different choices and to express ideas, but she kept us on track to make sure that the story we were telling was honest and clear. She has a gift of bringing emotion and talent out of both inexperienced and experienced actors alike. I can only imagine that she must be a truly talented teacher as well as a talented director. She is organized, creative and passionate about her projects, helping us all hone our craft and become more skillful through her guidance. After seeing our show an audience member remarked, "That was amazing! You must have had a fantastic director to have pulled that off!" Yes, we did... that would be Starshine.
Brian Jones, Actor:
As a community theatre participant for nearly 15 years, I have met all
kinds of people. Starshine Stanfield is one of my favorite kind of
people to meet: someone who knows how to get the job done while having
a good time. When she is involved in a production, I am confident that
there will be professionalism, attention to detail, and happy
audiences down the road. Most recently, I was involved in a production
she stage managed that had a cast of nearly 40 people, including
teenagers and young kids. As such, she had to ensure the proper
running of rehearsals and keep them from becoming chaotic. It is a
testament to her professionalism that even when she had to put her
foot down, whether to correct an unruly teen or adult, nobody felt
alienated or singled out.
I first worked with Starshine when she was Artistic Director of a local community theatre group. She was the understudy for another actor and sure enough, Starshine had to step into the role when that actor became unable to perform. I was impressed with her ability to perform under such pressure. I was later impressed with several shows that she directed, and was lucky enough to work with her as my director in one memorable show. Every time I've worked with her or seen her work, she has taught me things about performing and about presenting the material in the best possible light.
Starshine's theatrical professionalism is just one aspect of what makes her so valuable to an organization. She has a strong eye for detail, incredible dedication to the people she is working with, great administrative skills, and a willingness to take on the hard jobs. She is a unique and a uniquely talented individual.
I first worked with Starshine when she was Artistic Director of a local community theatre group. She was the understudy for another actor and sure enough, Starshine had to step into the role when that actor became unable to perform. I was impressed with her ability to perform under such pressure. I was later impressed with several shows that she directed, and was lucky enough to work with her as my director in one memorable show. Every time I've worked with her or seen her work, she has taught me things about performing and about presenting the material in the best possible light.
Starshine's theatrical professionalism is just one aspect of what makes her so valuable to an organization. She has a strong eye for detail, incredible dedication to the people she is working with, great administrative skills, and a willingness to take on the hard jobs. She is a unique and a uniquely talented individual.
Beth Mappes, Director/Actor
_I worked with Starshine on Steel Magnolias.
I consider myself a director before an actor but still act in shows
occasionally to learn from other directors. And did I learn a lot!
Starshine is a thorough and passionate director. Using techniques such
as improv and character study to enhance our rehearsals, I was able to
bring more to my performance than I thought possible. But even more
exciting for me is that I feel that I will be a better director because
of working in a show with her. A director has a vision to bring to the
stage...Starshine was a great director to learn how to do this more
successfully.
Madison U., 15, Acting Student
_I began working with Starshine Stanfield on August 17, 2011. Although it has been a short period of time my experience with her has been amazing. As an actor I have grown in both thought and method. She listens and connects with her students unlike any other teacher I have had before. In fact, I feel she's not only my teacher but my friend. In her class I have gained a confidence in my abilities. She works very well one on one while still including the rest of the class.
Before Starshine's class I dwelled on doing everything correctly, but through her I have learned that there is no right and wrong in theater, or at least not when it comes to playing a character. She helped boost my confidence through compliments and constructive criticism. In the past I used to take the criticism personally but when she gave me the criticism I accepted what she told me and grew from the experience.
Starshine is also very willing to listen to the ideas of students on how the class could do something differently. She is very open with how she feels and is honest on what she believes needs improvement; however, she is not controlling. She teaches the class but leaves room for us to explore different methods that might work better for us. Her classes are structured and fun. In her class I learned not only about acting, directing, lighting, set design, and costume design but also about who I am as an actor and a person. Some of my past acting teachers I felt didn't really care about me as a person, but I feel Starshine cares about me and wants to know each and every one of us in the class. Starshine is patient, imaginative, fun, and caring and anyone would be lucky to have her as an acting teacher.
Before Starshine's class I dwelled on doing everything correctly, but through her I have learned that there is no right and wrong in theater, or at least not when it comes to playing a character. She helped boost my confidence through compliments and constructive criticism. In the past I used to take the criticism personally but when she gave me the criticism I accepted what she told me and grew from the experience.
Starshine is also very willing to listen to the ideas of students on how the class could do something differently. She is very open with how she feels and is honest on what she believes needs improvement; however, she is not controlling. She teaches the class but leaves room for us to explore different methods that might work better for us. Her classes are structured and fun. In her class I learned not only about acting, directing, lighting, set design, and costume design but also about who I am as an actor and a person. Some of my past acting teachers I felt didn't really care about me as a person, but I feel Starshine cares about me and wants to know each and every one of us in the class. Starshine is patient, imaginative, fun, and caring and anyone would be lucky to have her as an acting teacher.
