As the dynamic faculty trio leading the UChicago Graham School’s newest offering, MyLife Studio, Nancy Tennant, Harry Davis, and Charlie Newell each bring distinct strengths to the program. Together, they guide participants through tools for personal growth, leadership development, and self-discovery. This article marks the first in a three-part series spotlighting each person, beginning with Charlie.
Charlie Newell has spent his life in rehearsal rooms. As the longtime Artistic Director of Court Theatre and one of Chicago’s most celebrated directors. He knows that the most profound transformations don’t happen on opening night. They happen in the quiet, messy, courageous space that comes before: rehearsal.
“The rehearsal room is where the real work happens,” Charlie says. “It’s where we take risks, try new things, and discover who we really are—before the world is watching.”
Over the years, Charlie began to see the power of rehearsal not just for actors, but for anyone navigating personal change. What if the same tools used to shape a performance—risk taking, creativity, and motivation—could also shape how we live, lead, and relate to each other?
The Rehearsal Room: A Space for Possibility
In most areas of life, people are expected to show up polished. Whether in the workplace, at home, or even in self-development spaces, there’s an implicit pressure to perform—to get it right the first time. Rehearsal, in contrast, creates the opposite condition: it invites exploration without perfection.
“It’s one of the only places where failing is expected,” Charlie explains. “You don’t get penalized for trying something new. You get encouraged to trust your impulse and learn how to access your most authentic self.”
That shift—from performance to practice—can be life-changing. In rehearsal, people are invited to experiment: to speak more directly, to sit with discomfort, to stretch into emotional territory they often avoid. According to Charlie, that freedom to explore without consequence opens a door to real, embodied growth.
Questions about the Program?
Roles, Patterns, and Emotional Range
One of the most powerful aspects of acting, in Charlie’s view, is its ability to surface the roles we already play. In everyday life, people fall into patterns—caretaker, conflict-avoider, peacemaker, fixer—without even realizing it. Rehearsal makes those roles visible and offers a way to explore new ones. “We’re all performing, all the time,” he says. “The difference is that actors know they’re performing. Most people don’t.”
Acting helps people see those patterns not as fixed identities, but as choices. When someone tries on a different posture, a new rhythm, or a more grounded tone of voice, they experience a shift, not into someone fake, but into a fuller version of themselves.
This kind of embodied experimentation builds flexibility. It helps people discover underused parts of their emotional range, and in doing so, expands their sense of self.
Rehearsal as a Lifelong Practice
Charlie is clear that this work isn’t about pretending, and it’s certainly not about perfecting. “Acting isn’t about becoming someone else,” he says. “It’s about becoming more yourself. The real question,” Charlie says, “is not ‘Can I change?’ It’s ‘Am I willing to rehearse the version of myself I want to become?’”
Curious how this work comes to life in a guided, supportive environment?
Learn more about MyLife Studio, the 7-week in-person course here.
