Candice Brown

Who are you? How do you define yourself as an artist?

I am an actor, director, voice and dialect coach, and educator. I see myself first and foremost as a storyteller and collaborator—someone committed to listening deeply and helping artists discover and cultivate their own authentic voices.

I am currently a Full Professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where I teach acting, voice and speech, and Shakespeare. I joined the Conservatory in 2004 and have worked professionally as an actor, director, and voice and dialect coach throughout my career. My regional performance credits include work with the American Repertory Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Gamm Theatre, Lyric Stage Company, and other regional theaters. I have also directed numerous productions, including the Boston premiere of Theory of Relativity.

My teaching career has included positions at Wheaton College, Brandeis University, Wheelock College, and the State University of New York at Fredonia, where I earned tenure and taught voice, movement, and scene study. I have been recognized with honors including Outstanding Faculty of the Year from the Boston Conservatory Student Government Association, a SUNY Fredonia Presidential Grant, and awards for Best Production and Best Director. 

What do you teach, where do you teach, and how long have you been an arts educator?

I teach acting, voice and speech, and Shakespeare at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, working with both undergraduate and graduate students in musical theater. I also teach acting in the Conservatory’s summer Musical Theater Dance Intensive program. In addition, I coach acting and voice privately through my practice, VoiceWorks, and work with artists in Boston, New York, and internationally. 

I began teaching full-time in the arts in 1993, so I have been an arts educator for more than three decades. Teaching has been an integral part of my life as an artist, and the two practices continually inform and strengthen one another.

What inspired you to become an arts educator?

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to teach, although I had no idea when or how that desire would manifest in my life. When I went to graduate school, I began teaching as part of my assistantship, which helped fund my education. That experience became a turning point for me.

I discovered that teaching allowed me to engage with the artistic process in a completely different way. It became clear that being an artist and being an educator were not separate paths for me—they were deeply connected. Teaching gave me another way to explore creativity, collaboration, and human connection while helping emerging artists find their own voices.

What do you love most about teaching the arts?

I love how the arts open perspectives and invite curiosity. They encourage us to question what we think we know, examine our assumptions, and see the world from perspectives different from our own.

The arts can remove bias, encourage play and collaboration, and give us opportunities to confront culture and societal norms in meaningful ways. I especially value the way artistic training creates space for students to be curious, vulnerable, imaginative, and brave. My goal is to help cultivate artists who are not only skilled, but who are thoughtful, engaged, and willing to listen deeply to the world around them.

What changes do you notice in students when they become involved in the arts?

I see students’ viewpoints open. Their intellect and curiosity deepen, and their connection to the world and to other people expands.

The arts ask students to listen, observe, collaborate, take risks, and consider experiences beyond their own. Over time, I often see them become more confident in their ability to express themselves while simultaneously becoming more receptive to other perspectives. That combination—developing a strong individual voice while learning how to truly listen to others—is one of the most powerful outcomes of arts education.

What do you think students lose when they don’t have access to arts education?

I think all human beings suffer without a connection to the arts, particularly children at young ages. The arts provide a way for us to understand ourselves and one another, to process experiences, imagine possibilities, and develop empathy.

When children don't have access to the arts, they can lose important opportunities to develop curiosity, creative problem-solving, self-expression, collaboration, and a sense of connection to their communities. Arts education isn't simply an enrichment activity; it is one of the ways we learn how to be human.

Can you tell us about a moment when you saw the power of the arts in action with your students?

One of the most meaningful things I see is when students take their creative work beyond the classroom and into the community. That transition—from developing as an artist to understanding how that artistry can serve others—is incredibly powerful.

I have seen students use theater as a form of advocacy, bringing performances and creative experiences to marginalized communities and using their artistic platforms to support causes they believe in. I have also seen students engage with initiatives such as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Black to Broadway.

Those experiences demonstrate that theater can be much more than entertainment. It can create connection, amplify voices, raise awareness, generate resources, and encourage people to see and care about experiences beyond their own.

What are some of the biggest barriers you see preventing students from accessing quality arts education?

Our current political climate is one significant barrier, particularly as funding for the arts is reduced through budgetary restraints. Financial pressures on institutions that support arts education can have a direct impact on students' ability to participate.

Cuts to federal grants and other sources of public funding can be especially damaging to economically challenged communities, where students may already have fewer opportunities to access high-quality arts programs. When arts education is treated as expendable, the students who most need those opportunities are often the ones who lose them first.

Access to the arts requires sustained investment. If we want young people to develop their creativity, curiosity, empathy, and capacity to engage with the world, we have to recognize arts education as an essential part of education—not a luxury.