Spotlight On Emma Ditnes, New MacGuffin Teacher

Emma Ditnes Headshot 4Emma Ditnes is an alumna of MacGuffin. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Arcadia University and soon will complete her Master’s there. Emma has a love for teaching theatre and this year she has come on board at MacGuffin as an acting teacher and coach. Throughout her undergraduate years she has assisted Liz Fredette on numerous productions and this summer she’ll be working on The Jungle Book with our Youth Musical Theatre Camp.

MacGuffin Questionnaire for Emma Ditnes

  1. What is your favorite word? Yes!
  2. What is your least favorite word? Gelatinous
  3. What sound or noise do you love? The Brahms Requiem, specifically the second movement. It is one of the most glorious choral arrangements I’ve ever known. 
  4. What sound or noise do you hate? As any student who has spent more than 5 minutes with me can tell you, anything repetitive, click-y, and distracting!
  5. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?  I’d love to be a vegan chef. Professionally, that is, since I already am one in my own kitchen. 
  6. What profession would you not like to do? Sewage. 
  7. Who are your personal heroes? As cliche as it sounds, my parents, and my sister and my brother in law. I don’t know if they’re “heroes” really–I feel like that’s a lot of pressure–but the sacrifices and displays of selflessness I have both witnessed and benefited from are pretty heroic in my eyes. 
  8. What is your favorite food and drink? Chocolate covered pretzels and Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher (grande). 
  9. What is your favorite color and flower? My favorite color is red. My favorite flowers are hyacinths and cherry blossoms.
  10. What are your favorite names? Fern and Tallulah, which just happen to be the names of my two favorite felines 🙂 
  11. What is your idea of happiness? Hanging out in a beach chair by the lake (Erie) with a cup of tea, dark chocolate, a great cookbook, and my family. 
  12. What famous quote resonates with you? “Be kind whenever it is possible. It is always possible.” – His Holiness the Dalai Lama
  13. Name a recent theater piece or film that moved you. I went with a fellow MacGuffin alum to see two other alums in a sketch comedy show at UPenn. The troupe, Bloomers–an all female troupe–did a fantastic job all around. The performers (both actors and musicians) and the designers were superb, but what impressed me the most was the social consciousness with which the pieces were written. There are definitely some future Tonight Show writers in that group!