Daily Inspiration: Meet Deborah Liss-Green

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Liss-Green.

Hi Deborah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I trained as an actor in New York City, where I grew up. My undergraduate degree is in English, with a theatre minor and my MFA is in theatre. Honestly, I never thought about teaching. After graduate school, I toured with The Shoestring Players, a New Jersey based theatre for youth company. It was that experience and making the audition rounds that taught me that I loved the craft, but not the lifestyle of the actor. I began my career in higher education back when my husband and I moved to Nebraska, and after eight years teaching in Georgia High Schools, I landed my first full time professor position at the former Darton State in Albany. For nine years there, and now nine years at Andrew College in Cuthbert, I have headed solo theatre programs, collaborating with my students, former students, husband (who is also an actor and former professor) and regional colleagues. I serve as the co-chair of Region 4 of the American College Theatre Festival. My work as a teacher and administrator is more rewarding than I had imagined education to be when I was a young actor in New York City.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No worthwhile road is smooth. However, my husband and I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked in the same field at colleges within a 50 mile radius of each other. This is incredibly rare.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I currently serve as the Chair of the School of Arts and Sciences at Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA. In addition, I serve as the co-chair of Region 4 (the Southeast) of the American College Theatre Festival, a national organization that celebrates excellence in college and university theatre. I was trained as an actor in New York City, where I received my M.F.A. My undergraduate work was in English and Theatre, and I have continually taught and practiced both disciplines.

As a teacher, I am most proud of the growth of students. The work I do with students is the most gratifying part of my work. Right now, I have former students working in Los Angeles in televsion and film, in the midwest in professional event lighting and performance, in Atlanta in performance, set design and talent management, in university and high school theatre and education. It is thrilling.

As a theatre artist, I am most proud of the work my husband and I develop together. We have formed a company, SOWEGA Ensemble Theatre, and together with our current and former students, we write original murder mysteries that we have performed over the last five years. Creating original work with and for our company is a tremendously fun challenge. We adapt the scripts for performances at the historic Windsor Hotel in Americus, and then for multiple locations around the square in downtown Cuthbert. It’s great fun, and gives our students a chance to work on original material and experience adapting for various venues.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
For me, the right roles have appeared or reappeared at the right time in my life, and I guess you can call that luck. As a young mother, I was unwilling to work full time, and did not pursue an opportunity that came my way. When we moved to Americus, Georgia for my husband’s job in 1999, a position as a theatre professor opened up in Albany. I didn’t apply. The same opportunity reappeared some years later, and it was almost as if the position was supposed to be mine. I just needed it to be presented at the right time. I took the leap, and it was the start of a wonderful professional journey. When I began at Darton College the only other theatre faculty member resigned immediately, saying he didn’t want to work with a woman. He was the design and tech person. I was told I was on my own to build the program. It was pretty scary. But I leaned on my husband, also a theatre professor, colleagues and contacts, and my students. And what may have been thought of as bad luck was actually a chance to learn that I could do more than I realized.

My husband and I count ourselves incredibly lucky. We are both actors and have found work as theatre professors within 50 miles of one another. We were able to raise our family and collaborate professionally. Several of our friends in the theatre have to live apart to pursue professional goals. We haven’t had to do that. And we are grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://deborahlissgreen.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_college_theatre/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewCollegeTheatre