Dr. Hollingsworth
Curriculum Vita
Perhaps some of my favorite teaching moments shared over the last two years have been the collaborations with my colleagues. I have loved serving, teaching, and directing with Dawne Swearingen Meeks, Adam Hester, Gary Varner, Joey Banks, Catherine Baumgardner, and Eric Pitney. When art is elevated and integrated with our faith it means so very much and calls us to excellence! It has been so special to be a part of a cloud of witnesses and to “run the race with perseverance” together. Hebrews 12:1. I have particularly enjoyed my collaboration with Dr. Rick Piersall in supporting his opera production of Carousel this year. I prepared several of my students who were cast and then sent them to work with Rick. They benefitted greatly from this experience. Collegiality and mutual respect are at its best when we are able to give students a broader artistic exposure. I have also enjoyed working with Dr. Steven Ward who does such excellent work with the orchestra. I also reflect on the many colleagues and mentors I have learned from along my journey. The Lord places the right people at the different seasons of life to teach us. As I continue forward I will “do my work willingly as doing it for the Lord” Colossians 3:23 and try to serve each day with gratitude and reliance on the creative creator to work through me.
Previous to my current role, I had the privilege of being an adjunct instructor in the Theatre Department for ACU. I was at Hardin-Simmons University and the need for collaboration to meet the needs of students through the Covid years was necessary. I worked to create a safe space, with a plexiglass booths, that would allow students the opportunity to learn and grow, despite the pervasive restrictions required from both universities. It was a time of community building and true partnership as Abilene Christian University students were welcomed on campus and allowed to benefit from space and safety. I believe the desperate times precipitated a deeper need and appreciation for working together, across departments and universities. This paved the way for my work to maintain relevance and for Abilene Christian University to see the value in my ability, work ethic, and spirit of service.
As I reflect on my life’s journey, my adoption journey gave me a lens that promoted pleasing others. After years of self-reflection, I realized this stemmed from a place of deep fear growing. I believed I needed to be more and do more in order for my parents to want to keep me and love me. Although nothing was further from the truth, I leaned into that need to work well, please others, and try to be kind, loving, and respectful as best I could. Thinking back on those years that were full of an unexplained fear, many of those survival attributes were good traits, but born out of a place of insecurity. God doesn’t call us to a place of fear, but I believe that with awareness, now I have come to realize there is good that came out of my fear. I have learned how to get along with others, how to work well with others, and how to see where others struggle and meet them where they are. As a result of my early years I believe that some of my walk has given me an ability to be a solid team player. I strive to pour into my colleagues and students with a keen understanding of who they are. Reflecting on my own collegiality is one of the harder areas to speak to. What others have to say about this is perhaps more telling. As I have matured, I am learning more that I take time to see others' gifts, to see how God made them and to work to compliment the work in each task or opportunity for teamwork. Some of the greatest moments in my teaching career have come when I am working alongside my colleagues.
While I was at HSU, I found joy in my work in the School of Music and my music colleagues. I also really enjoyed serving with colleagues from the many disciplines on campus. Serving on the Quality Enhancement Plan, Faculty Development, and Academic Committees I gained a greater appreciation for how we all work together towards a common goal. Some of the best productions I worked on were Godspell (2017) and The Secret Garden (2020). In producing these musicals I brought the Music, Theatre, and Art students in to create a rich artistic experience. When we produced Godspell it took many hands to create the vision of placing this show in the subways of New York City. What better place could we meet God with so many different people from diverse backgrounds. I called together our Technical Director, Larry Wheeler, our Artistic Director Dr. Victoria Spangler, our Art Dept. faculty Dr. Steve Neves to help us dream of creating a place where God can meet All. We had many art, music, and theatre students creating subway tunnels, graffiti, and developing the right atmosphere to create a space that was unique to share God's message of love, hope, and redemption. This represents for me a beautiful example of collegiality at its finest. I remember the countless hours spent and the care that was placed in our common task. This is why I chose to outline what Helen Keller said “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” This experience will remain a highlight of my almost 25 year career. I believe it embodies what we, as God’s people, can do when we come together. In 2020 just before Covid hit, we produced The Secret Garden was also a collegial force and built out of a tremendous collegial spirit.
As I continue my teaching journey at ACU, I feel the same way about the musicals we have produced here. My work with Adam Hester on The Light in the Piazza provided some of the most difficult hurdles. The music is highly complex and I was called as the Musical Director to get the right members of the chamber ensemble to handle the score. I was also tasked with training our cast to become adept with the Italian accent and language. This production challenged the directors, the musicians, and the cast. It also gave us a common purpose to create beauty and truth to the best of our abilities. I am so very proud of all that our students learned through this process. Most of them had never been exposed to the Italian language, and yet, through tireless work with me on the language and dialect, they sounded true and authentic. I believe that collegiality and collaboration go hand in hand. Each show we produce cannot thrive without collegiality. My hope is that working performers and colleagues are the best testament to my professional collaboration and collegiality, offered with consistency, honesty, and commitment to bettering the arts.
Soli Deo Gloria!
