Hey there, my name is Sylvie!

For as long as I can remember, I have loved stories. True stories, tall tales, short anecdotes and long novels.

I was lucky to grow up with parents who fostered this love - taking me to the theatre, reading me book upon book from the library, and doing their best to keep up with the world-building games I created from stuffed animals and found objects in my bedroom.

By age four I was already producing plays complete with rehearsals, costumes, sets, and an audience of neighbors and friends.

My love of acting took more concrete shape in elementary school when I had the chance to perform on community and professional stages in Seattle, WA as a child actor. Growing up in a regional theatre city, I never considered that I would pursue acting as a profession. So after high school, I attended Pacific Oaks - a teachers college in Pasadena, CA where I earned a BA in Human Development with an emphasis on learning across the lifespan. It was at Pacific Oaks that I discovered my passion for curriculum development, student-driven learning and instructional design.

A fateful call from a theatre director I’d worked with as a child coaxed me back onstage. And I spent the next few years working as an actor across the country before ultimately landing in New York City where I worked and performed Off Broadway for four years.

The pursuit of my MFA in Acting brought me to Chicagoland and its fertile artistic soil. I spent three years studying and teaching at Northern Illinois University where I was given the immense gift of learning to combine my love of performing and my work in the classroom.

Teaching the performing arts is magical. It is a privilege to hold space for students as they explore, analyze, and discover their own humanity and the humanity of others. I experienced the power of arts education first hand. A s a child, theatre helped me to develop listening skills, to learn to empathize, to hone my critical thinking skills, and to build my self-confidence. Now, in the role of instructor, I am able to pay it forward, to give back.

Thanks to my extended study and professional relationships with Anne Green Gilbert (The BrainDance), Christopher Bayes (David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University), Fay Simpson (Lucid Body Technique), Patricia Skarbinski (protégé of Kathryn Gately), Seattle Children’s Theatre and SITI Company, my specialties as an instructor include:

Meisner Acting Technique
Movement-based & Psycho-Somatic Approaches to Acting
Neurodivergent & Sensory Friendly Artistic Practices
New Works, Devised Theatre & Ensemble Building
Solo Performance

Thank you for taking the time to explore my website, work and approach to acting onstage and in the classroom. I look forward to connecting with you here online or in person.

Sincerely,

Sylvie Mae Baldwin Actor and University Educator

Sylvie Mae Baldwin is a theater and film actress based in Chicago Illinois. She has been seen onstage at South Coast Repertory, Key City Public Theatre, Lexington Children's Theater, and Book It Repertory. Her specialties as a performer include children's theatre, Shakespeare, and devised theatre/new works. Sylvie received her MFA in Acting at Northern Illinois University and her BFA in Human Development from Pacific Oaks Teachers College. As a teacher Sylvie has taught at University of Tampa, The Northwest School, Seattle Children's Theatre, University of Washington Bothell, and Sing With Emily (Naperville). She is a respected audition coach - working with children on auditions for theatre, film, television, and commercials. She also coaches those applying to BFA and MFA programs for acting and musical theatre. Sylvie specializes in teaching movement for actors and has worked with high schoolers, college age students and professionals alike. Sylvie's other interests include actor musicianship (i.e., composition and performance for live theatre) and psychosomatic practices (i.e., yoga and Lucid Body Technique).