Meet Mikala Gibson
Mikala J. Gibson is an award-winning stage and screen actress, writer, director and teaching artist. Her theatre directing credits include Ain't No Mo' (UT Austin), a virtual production of Our Lady of Sacred Part: Vulva Pope (The Vortex Theatre) and A Maroon's Guide to Time and Space (The Catastrophic Theatre). Gibson's theatre acting credits include "Fannie" in Flyin' West (African American Repertory Theatre), "Black Mary" in Gem of the Ocean (Jubilee Theatre), "Ruby Meeks" in Sundown Names and Night-Gone Things (The Ensemble Theatre) and "Mandy Kate" in The Courage of Mandy Kate Brown (Stages Repertory Theatre). Gibson's most notable TV acting credits are her roles as "Doris" in season five of Fear the Walking Dead and as "JoJo" in Netflix's First Kill. Her work has been featured at the Cannes International Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, the Urbanworld Film Festival, and the American Black Film Festival. Gibson is the founder of The Black Artivist Collective, and the host of the platform's podcast. She is a member of Women in Film and TV Austin and SAG-AFTRA. Gibson holds an M.F.A. in Theatre with a specialization in directing from UT Austin.
www.mikalagibson.com
Mikala's Approach to Teaching
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world and all there will ever be to know and understand." — Albert Einstein
This quote serves as a guiding principle in all of my classes, regardless of age or experience level. As artists, our creative choices begin with imagination. I can teach every acting technique available, but if students cannot free themselves to fully explore and trust their imaginations, that knowledge has limited value. For this reason, we begin by embracing imagination, building confidence, and encouraging creative freedom before moving into technique.
From there, we explore a variety of approaches, including the work of Stanislavski, Meisner, Uta Hagen, and Viewpoints, among others. In directing, we study influential directors and their unique styles, examining how their artistic choices shape a story. Students then have the opportunity to experiment with these methods, discover what resonates with them, and develop an approach that feels authentic to their individual artistic voices.
My goal is for every student to leave my class with a strong creative foundation, practical tools, and the confidence to continue growing as an artist. I want them to understand not only how to approach their craft, but also why they make the artistic choices they do.