Community Work

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” - Mahatma Gandhi -

Drama workshop in Hong Kong

I see giving back to my community as my responsibility and a way to say 'thank you' for the many gifts that I have received; but even beyond that, it is a privilege to serve the people who enrich my life on a daily basis. Although I've lived and worked on three different continents, I have always striven to turn these very different places into a "home" by connecting to the local community and engaging with people around me. My background in theatre has been particularly helpful because it served as a tool that bridges languages and national boundaries. Live performance is a universal cultural phenomenon that exists in every society around the world and it has allowed me to 'recruit' drama lovers where ever I've gone.

Theatre workshops, drama classes, live performances, auditions, public speaking guest-lectures, and video performances have all
allowed me to branch out into unfamiliar environment and quickly connect to people in the community by letting them (and me) to explore our creative sides.

Of course, creative work is part and parcel of my research. I consider myself an actor, director and dance theatre maker. My recent creative projects have include:

Patrick Marber's Closer (Hong Kong Repertory Theatre) where I played the role of Dan;
Viewpoints Workshop in which the CUHK students created their mini-movement-performance pieces;
Series of Unfortunate events, an original drama performance in which students showcased their skills; and
Alice in Wonderland, an original adaptation of Lewis Carroll's story performed by the Hong Kong 4th graders.

More about my theater works can be found under the "Creative Work" section of the site.

My Community Projects:

Selector for Crosslight International Film Festival - Crosslight Film Festival is an event organized by universities in China, Thailand, Phillipines, Cambodia, and Singapore. 2021

Dramatic English Associate/Director - Dramatic English is a Hong-Kong-based company which uses drama in improving local students' English skills.

Drama Association Coordinator/Teacher - Break a Leg drama association was financially supported by The University Grants Committee (UGC); Hong Kong: 2013-2015.

Resident Tutor - Student residence at City University of Hong Kong assigns tutors who organize student activities, events and field trips that acquaint students with University Life. Hong Kong: 2014-2016.

Drama Instructor - Organized series of free drama workshop with local NGO called Pavarotti Center. Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina: 2013.

Drama Festival Judge - Judge in Mostar Youth Theatre's IFAP (International Festival of Authorial Poetics). Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina: 2009.

CRIS (Community Refugee and Immigration Services) Volunteer - (CRIS) is an independent non-profit organization that serves the refugee populations in Columbus (USA): 2008-2009.