The theater department lost a valuable member when previous teacher Brandon Lawrence moved away, but the department has new opportunities lying ahead now that they have gained Lauren Djigo, who has worked in theater throughout her career.
Djigo attended the University of Michigan for her bachelor’s degree in arts & ideas in the humanities and Georgia State University for her master’s in applied linguistics/ESL. Before settling in her career as a high school teacher, Djigo was a preschool teacher, cashier and an after-school coordinator for a Korean church.
“I’m originally from Michigan, but I’ve been living in Memphis for the past 12 years,” Djigo said.
In the decade she has lived here, Djigo has worked at both public and private schools, teaching many subjects, with theater and English always being two of them.
“The past 10 years, I was teaching at the Soulsville Charter School,” Djigo said. “I taught English III, AP Language and Composition and drama.”
Djigo will be teaching more than drama here as well, as she is certified to teach multiple other classes.
“I teach theater I, II, III and IV, and speech and communication,” Djigo said. “But, I’m qualified for others.”
Her love for teaching and her love for her husband are intertwined. She’s always been involved in theater, but her desire to teach other subjects began farther away, in France. When she helped her future husband understand English, she was inspired to help others learn how to communicate.
“And I think [helping my husband] just got me thinking about how people learn, and I did a Master’s program in Applied Linguistics for how to teach people other languages,” Djigo said. “And I think I like teaching because it incorporates a lot of things from theater, you know, the presentation, thinking about your audience, connecting with people.”
Djigo started off teaching at Craigmont High School when she came to Memphis and then moved on to Soulsville Charter School. She has strong feelings about bridging the distance between charter and public schools. Djigo thinks that private and charter schools can do more harm than good in how they distribute information.
“I think that public schools … offer [equal education] to the most people, and I think when organizations start charter schools or private schools, it ends up siphoning off funds that could be used to fund public schools that everybody has access to,” Djigo said.
Djigo wants to build up the theater program to gain more students and help students passionate about theater find jobs in the right path after graduation. One of the ways she plans to accomplish that is to partner with Theater Memphis right down the street from the school. White Station has All-West for the musically inclined but there are other competitions for theater. This is also a way to build resumes while in high school by competing in theater competitions.
“They have a new Tech Academy program,” Djigo said. “One way that people in the arts can make money right away is by doing technical theater; sets, staging, lighting, costumes [and] the production aspect of [shows].”
Djigo has many plans and hopes for the theater department but her students also have many hopes for her — especially for how she will live up to Lawrence.
“I really liked [Lawrence],” Elio Martin (12) said. “[H]e was a father figure to me. He was very kind. He was always understanding of all of his students. And he was honestly a lot of fun.”
Coinciding with their warm feelings for Lawrence are the students’ strong first impression of Djigo.
“[T]he big concern that the theater department had, and especially Thespian Society, was ‘Can we keep this a safe space?’ Eden Holding (10) said. “Because we have a lot of people coming in here and make sure everyone feels welcome. So, I think that Ms. Djigo has done a very good job of creating the atmosphere.”
The students know that they themselves can make it difficult for new and veteran teachers alike. Intro to Theater is specifically mentioned as a class to watch out for.
“[My advice is] to not be scared,” Hallie Boland (11) said. “We’re a lot.”
Despite only arriving on Monday, Feb. 20, Djigo has made strong strides by bonding with students. Her determination to expand the theater program and students’ theatrical knowledge will develop as she settles into her new position as a Spartan.
“She’s been starting the class with having us all get up and play some sort of game to get our creative juices flowing,” Martin said. “She’s a lot of fun. She’s really sweet. I think she’s honestly going to be a great teacher.”