Julia Crockett
Biography
Julia Crockett is a New York-based performing artist, choreographer, actor, and movement specialist renowned for her insightful exploration of the body's connection to emotional life in performance. She is an alumna of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has established herself as a significant voice in physical theater and acting pedagogy.
Biography and Training
Julia Crockett is a graduate of New York University, where she also teaches movement and physical technique for the Meisner Studio. She is additionally on the faculty at the Maggie Flanigan Studio and has taught at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Her training as an actor in the Meisner Technique under Maggie Flanigan forms a core part of her approach. She has also gained experience in Contact Improvisation, Michael Chekhov work, and Viewpoints, all of which contribute to her unique perspective on physical performance.
Her academic and artistic work deeply explores the relationship between the body and a performer's emotional life, specifically focusing on the connection between physical freedom and psycho-emotional release.
Career Highlights and Artistic Contributions
Crockett's career spans acting, choreography, and teaching, often intertwining these disciplines:
Movement Direction and Coaching: Julia Crockett is highly regarded as a movement specialist and coach. She has worked with prominent actors, notably coaching Sarah Paulson on her Golden Globe and Emmy-winning performance as Marcia Clark in American Crime Story. Their collaboration continued on projects such as The Bear, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Paulson's Tony-winning performance in Broadway's Appropriate. Directors like Lila Neugebauer have praised Crockett's ability to observe the human body with remarkable attunement, highlighting her rigor in shaping performances.
Founder of FoxStole Productions / Julia Crockett & Group: Crockett is the founder and artistic director of her movement collective, initially known as FoxStole Productions and later as Julia Crockett & Group. This company focuses on process-driven work, with much of the material devised by the ensemble. Her aim in founding the group was to create a creative home for artists interested in exploring physical performance, regardless of their prior training. Julia Crockett & Group has performed at various venues across New York City and Brooklyn, as well as in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Choreography and Original Works: As a choreographer and director, Crockett creates original works that often delve into themes of imitation, emotional gesture, and the cultivation of identity. Her performances are described as being "packed with emotional variance, humor, extremity, and pop-culture nods." Some of her original work was produced in the 2011-2012 Department of Drama Stageworks season at NYU. She also received the 2013-2014 Leimay Black Studio Fellowship.
Acting Roles: Crockett has acted professionally on stage, film, and television. Her notable television credits include a series regular role in Cinemax's Outcast, appearances in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC), Mr. Robot, and Blindspot, and an episode of Mindhunter. On stage, she played the title role in Aquila Theater Company's A Female Philoctetes at BAM. Her film roles include Ramblin' Round and The Absence.
Teaching and Workshops: Her dedication to sharing her expertise is evident in her extensive teaching career. She guides participants through physical discovery workshops, drawing on disciplines like Contact Improvisation, Viewpoints, Michael Chekhov work, and the Williamson Technique. These workshops emphasize physical vulnerability, creative impulse, and collaboration.
Julia Crockett continues to be an influential figure in the performing arts, shaping performances and nurturing talent through her unique blend of acting, movement, and pedagogical insight.
