Virginiya H. DiDonato

Adjunct Lecturer
Speech, Communications and Theatre Arts

Office:

Office Hours: Mondays 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm S628

Phone:

Virginia DiDonato, MA, BCC is an actor, director, speaker and workshop facilitator. She moved to the United States in 2000 to pursue career as an educator and performer. Virginia DiDonato started her career as an actress and teacher in her native Bulgaria where she was essential part of the National Theater of Bulgaria, the First Women Theater, and the Department of Education. She continues to work with the Bulgarian Community in NYC as a director and stages yearly performances with students and parents.

Expertise

Degrees

Hunter College (CUNY), New York, NY

MA in Theater (2008)

American Musical and Drama Academy, New York, NY

BA in Musical Theater (2002)

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria

MA in Philology (2000)

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria

BA in Literature and Pedagogy

Courses Taught

3 CRS.3 HRS.NULL LAB HRS. SPE 100 SPE 100 (Fundamentals of Public Speaking): The aim of this course is to develop effective skills in speech communication. The student examines how to generate topics and organized ideas, masters elements of audience psychology and practices techniques of speech presentation in a public forum. All elements of speech production and presentation are considered.
3 CRS.3 HRS.NULL LAB HRS. SPE 102 SPE 102 (Fundamentals of Public Speaking for Non-Native Speakers): This course is recommended for those whose native language is not English. It addresses fundamentals of speech communication, as does SPE 100, but provides special emphasis in vocabulary building, pronunciation, and enunciation. Classwork is implemented through the use of recordings, individual and group drills, interpersonal exercises, oral readings, and impromptu and prepared group discussions and speeches. Weekly speech tutoring is required. This course satisfies the equivalent for, and may be taken instead of, SPE 100. Credit is given for SPE 102 or SPE 100, but not for both classes.

Research and Projects

- Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Communication
- Cultural Integration

Publications

“Zachary Karabashliev and the Contemporary Bulgarian theater: An Introduction”, Slavic and East European Performance, edited by Daniel Gerould, Vol 32, No 1, 2012-2013, pp. 64-69.
“The Double Knot” Theater News (Театралние вести), performance review, Russia, Jan. 2010, pp. 45.
“Poets and Criminals; face vs story” United Bulgaria online magazine, Sept. 2002. www.unitedbulgaria.com.
“Interviews with poet and vice president Blaga Dimitrova” Et Cetera, Art Almanac, edited by Maya Pramatorova. Bulgaria, Vol 3, May 1999, pp. 121-136.
“The Secrets of Comte De Lautreamont” Bulgarian Literature Academy magazine, Sofia Press. Bulgaria, Oct. 1998, p.10.
“Summer Poems”, Bulgarian Literature Academy magazine, Sofia Press, Bulgaria, Sept 1997, p.57.

Honors, Awards and Affiliations

Awards:

Woman of the Year 2018 from Bulgarian Women Club in New York for contribution to the Bulgarian community in New York
Easter European Immigrants Theater Foundation Award – 2013 for the translation of the Bulgarian play The Innocents by Teodora Dimova
John Golden Award for original play, endorsed by playwright Tina Howe

Affiliations:

ICF Member
Board Certified Coach, BCC (personal and professional development)
NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Practitioner
New York Toastmasters Public Speaking Club (Chapter 46, NYC)