Energy is a powerful tool for performers, one that is often overlooked, and yet has a powerful presence. Learn how to recognize and utilize your own energy through exercises that turn psychology into biology.

This process originated from the devised works of theater-maker Mike Leigh and his actors.

Dr. Maggie Scanlan is a professional theatre director, performer, educator, and producer whose work explores the intersection of classic and contemporary performance. She served as Artistic Director of Nightpath Theatre Company in the Twin Cities from 2004 to 2014, where she produced, co-designed, and directed acclaimed productions of works by Shakespeare, Pinter, Chekhov, Genet, and Wilder. Her direction earned widespread critical recognition and appeared on numerous “Best of the Year” lists.

Maggie was also a member of The Theatre Exchange, a British-American ensemble that brought to the Twin Cities premiere productions by playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Steven Berkoff, and Steven Dykes. In 2014, she performed as Aunt Dan in Wallace Shawn’s Aunt Dan and Lemon at The Mill Theatre in Guildford, Surrey, UK.

Building on a performance process developed by The Theatre Exchange’s Artistic Director, Julia Carey, Dr. Scanlan guides actors in developing characterization through energy centers, an embodied approach that connects movement, psychology, and emotional truth.

She holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Minnesota and a PhD in English from Northern Illinois University. Her recently published dissertation examines the physicality of trauma in postwar film.