Kriti Sood
Theater is a means to connect with other human beings at a universal level, according to Pierce College theater arts professor Valorie Grear.
“You are a performer because you have something deep within you to touch people, to enable them to see the world in all new ways,” she said.
Grear has been teaching at Pierce since 1979, part-time at first for nearly nine years before she was hired full time in 1988.
Earning her master’s degree from Cornell University in New York, Grear trained to work professionally as an actress. However, she took up teaching when she moved to Los Angeles. It was a “survival job” for her then. She believes performing does require much of the same creative energy as teaching, though.
Grear said she enjoyed teaching and over the years has learned a lot from her students.
High school was where she discovered her passion for theater, finding that she enjoyed reading aloud and acting out skits for teachers.
Acting on request from a friend, she took her first step and auditioned for a professional company in Memphis, Tenn. and was selected.
She has displayed her acting skills in many different ways, including famous soap opera “The Young and The Restless” and experimental movie “Interface.”
Individuals come together in theater creating a great connection, according to Grear.
As a director, she gets to decide what she wants to work on, which is why she never goes for something mediocre but picks a piece that is “risky and scary.”
“I like the stretch,” she said. “I like going into unchartered territories.”
“As a teacher, I really feel acting just has the ability to unlock the amazing range of emotions, imaginations and feelings in each of us.”
Residing in Calabasas with her family, Grear also professes a fondness for gardening, cooking and entertaining people, “domestic arts” as she calls it.
A self-proclaimed animal and music lover, she is a completely optimistic person, despite many challenges, namely a car accident in 1995 which restricted her to a wheelchair.
“I am very grateful,” said Grear. “Despite my injury, I could do that sitting – be a teacher and a director. I feel very blessed.”
” My accident taught me to approach each moment and enjoy it.”