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Meet Our Teaching Artists: Kevin Alan Brown

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Meet Kevin Alan Brown, one of our Arts on a Roll instructors. While specializing in Shakespeare, he teaches a wide range of theatre and performance workshops.

Where were you born and trained, and how did you get to where you are now?

I grew up in St. Petersburg, FL where I participated in arts magnet schools from the 3rd grade until high school graduation. I graduated from the University of Florida with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance and married my artistic collaborator and college sweetheart Robin Neveu Brown in 2007. I spent four years being a professional actor in New York City, where I earned my Equity card, performing in staged readings, fringe festivals, improv shows, and creating new works with my wife, as well as collaborating with composer Dylan Glatthorn and director William Joseph Stribling. I received my MFA from the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting at the George Washington University in DC.

What was your first experience with theatre?

I lived in Florida for most of my life, so my family went to Busch Gardens almost every weekend. My Dad loved going on the rides and seeing the shows. I got to see so many different types of performance (singing, dancing, ice skating, vaudeville, big band, sketch comedy). But the final nail in the coffin came when I went to Universal Studios for the first time. I fell in love with, not only the magic of theatre and film, but the behind-the-scenes secrets!

What can theatre and other performing arts add to the life of a person, be they a child or adult?

The arts help us all process the information we are bombarded with every day. Many deal with numbers on a daily basis, but until those numbers are associated with human relationships, there is no way to fully understand what they mean. Plus, we all need a way to express ourselves, and the arts, while either watching or participating, help us say something that we cannot do in everyday life.

What was one of the most satisfying experiences you’ve had working with Arts on a Roll?

I had the pleasure of working an event for National Night Out this year. It was so scintillating to be in a festival filled with people where the number one goal was just to get to know each other and familiarize ourselves with something as nebulous as a "police department". Putting names with faces helps us see each other more clearly. I really felt the community that night!