KIMIKO WARNER-TURNER

Kimiko Warner-Turner is a Los Angeles based social justice Teaching Artist who brings many years of experience in theatre education, and the designing and managing artistic programs. She currently focuses on using Liberation Arts and Aesthetics of the Oppressed, movement and visual art techniques in primary and secondary schools, colleges and community organizations. She completed her BA at Whittier College and received an M.F.A. at USC in Applied Theatre Arts. She trained with Theatre of the Oppressed founder, Augusto Boal at CTO-Rio in Brazil, Theatre of the Oppressed/Optimistic at Jana Sanaskriti repertoire company in India, with Brent Blair, Ph.D., and Mady Schutzman, Ph.D. in Los Angeles. She received classical training from Louis Fantasia who is currently Dean of Faculty and Chair of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the New York Film Academy's Los Angeles campus. She's a teaching artist for Whitaker Peace & Development and Initiative Institute and Theatre & Social Change at USC. She’s part of the TeAda Ensemble dealing with social justice performance and programming for people of color. Kimiko is a Master Teaching Artist and Symposium Instructor for the Music Center Education Department. She collaborates with Psychotherapist Melissa Shepherd-Williams, Dietitian Taryn Schubert McPherson, and Dance Theatre Artist Robyn O’Dell in facilitating workshops on creating wellness and developing life-affirming relationships. She is a repeat guest artist at Pacific Oaks in the Cultural Family Therapy program. She's the Creative Director for Changing Ways – a program for ex-incarcerated men released from prison and was the Theatre Arts/Client Manager in Pasadena Unified School District for Friends Outside in Los Angeles.

Her other experiences include designing and implementing educational programs for students, teachers, and for family enjoyment as the Educational Programs Manager at Center Theatre Group, Movement Mentor for Will Power to Youth at Shakespeare Center Los Angeles and co-creator of P.A.T.H. for the Simon Family Foundation. She’s been a TA for Theatreworkers Project, Urban Arts Partnership-LA Chapter, Sequoyah Progressive School, Cal Poly Pomona, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, ArtworxLA, Inner City Arts, and United Cerebral Palsy’s UC Play. She was the Assistant Director, Choreographer and Community Teaching Artist for the Los Angeles premier for the musical, Land of Smiles, written by Erin Kamler; the production went on to tour in Thailand, and the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh; she was also Focus Group Leader for Art, Social Justice and Women’s Empowerment: Dramatization and Research in the Trafficking of Persons ‘Space’. She was Assistant Director and Choreographer for the South Pasadena Education Foundation for Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Into the Woods, Mulan, and Seussical, Jr. . She designed and edited the Zoot Suit Instructional Guide for Claremont College and Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood. She has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Associate Producer for Hungry Woman and Trio Los Machos written by Josephina López. All of this would not be possible if it weren’t for the amazing support of her husband and daughters who she loves very much.