"LITTLE WOMEN" Play for kids
Directed by Karen Hughes
Karen Hughes has been involved in teaching and directing children’s and adult’s theater productions for over thirty years. Her past endeavors include directing community theater and musical productions which include, among others, the productions of Peter Pan, How to Eat Like a Child, Pinocchio, Charlie Brown’s Christmas, Bodas de Sangre, How to Have an Earth Day, Elizabeth the Queen, and Annie. She owned and operated her own kindergarten through fourth grade California registered school focused on nurturing children’s natural creative art abilities. Her personal educational philosophy is that children of all ages (including young-at-heart adults!) are naturally creative, inquisitive, and avid learners. When individuals are given opportunities to act on those naturally creative intrinsic motivators, they soar to their greatest heights with enriched self esteem and excelling in knowledge of new tasks/skills based on their intrinsic abilities.
Karen has a Masters in Education with emphasis in special education. She has a B.S. in psychology and has extensive experience in child behavior modification. She is an active member of the Golden Key World Honor Society. Her expertise includes utilizing theater to assist children with special needs, especially children who have experienced trauma in their lives, children who are experiencing difficulty in school, children with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, and children with Autism. She has extensive experience in child behavior modification with Applied Behavior Analysis.
Karen is also a writer. Her work includes an epic 700 page historical novel, as well as several children’s books, including a special icon-reading program to help children with special needs learn how to read.
Karen has been a National Registered Thespian for over 40 years. She was a teacher of kindergarten through eighth grade which included extra-curricular school activities of directing school productions, as well as editor of the school newspaper. Her most recent work included working with ‘at risk’ youth.
Karen loves theater, especially nurturing, directing, and mentoring all the aspiring drama students at the Neon Venus Theater.