Imagination, Storytelling, and Acting for a Complex World with Corey Allen

What does acting training prepare students for—beyond the stage or screen?

In this episode of The Other Side of Campus, Katie Dawson (Theatre & Dance) and Stephanie Holmsten (Government) speak with Corey Allen, Assistant Professor of Acting in the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin.

A multidisciplinary artist whose work spans acting, directing, writing, visual art, and immersive performance, Corey shares how he adapts classroom training to meet the realities of today’s industry—while cultivating artistry, resilience, and agency. He reflects on acting as the recreation of truthful human behavior under imaginary circumstances, and as a practice rooted in empathy, imagination, and storytelling.

At its heart, this episode asks: What does it mean to train not just performers, but empathetic and engaged community members who are prepared to navigate change, rejection, and risk in a hyper-complex world?

As always, thanks for listening!

Credits

Hosts: Stephanie Seidel Holmsten & Katie Dawson

Music by various artists: Denys Brodovskyi, Beat Mekanik

Theme track: "Soul Sync" by Ketsa

Executive Producer: Michelle Daniel