Margaret C. Buckner Furtick

I strive to have my students gain a more positive view of what their own body is capable of, an appreciation for our human architecture, and a deeper understanding of what makes them tick.

Margaret C. Buckner joined Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2019 and is an instructor of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA). 

Originally from South Carolina, Buckner has enjoyed a far-reaching movement journey. She became a Certified Movement Analyst in 2018, awarded by the Laban Institute of Movement Studies. Her thesis, “Laban, Meet the Broadsword,” focused on using the LMA language and exercises to safely swing one of the larger certifiable weapons. Buckner is inspired by the impact of storytelling, encouraging her students to find their voice through movement. With the assistance of Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates’s Ritual Poetic Drama methodology, she has crafted a solo work entitled "My Six Parents" which explores her own grief-filled journey out of childhood through movement as story. 

Buckner earned a B.A in theater and english and a B.S in secondary education from the College of Charleston in 2013, where she spent much of her time performing and choreographing departmental musicals. She went on to perform with the Hampstead Stage Company, a nationally touring children’s theater, from 2013–2015. These tours helped deepen her love of storytelling while providing an excellent way to practice active listening, space-limited combat, and strong character development. In 2015 she earned the status as an Actor Combatant. This inspired her pursuit of a M.A in theater pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University. While there, she created a curriculum that focused on character development and side coaching. Her thesis was Laban for the Actor: The Mind/Body Connection. 

She currently resides in northern Connecticut, where she is a freelance choreographer and the resident artist and youth theater director for the West Hartford Jewish Community Center. There, she teaches dance and theater classes, runs the summer theater camp, and is the director-choreographer for multiple shows a year. Buckner is also a frequent guest teacher for Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown, Connecticut.

Professional Awards and Recognitions

• Most Outstanding Performance at the National Stage Combat Conference (2015) 
• Graduate Acting Award from Virginia Commonwealth University (2017)
• Most Loved Local Acting Program at the West Hartford Jewish Community Center (2020)

Notable Recent Works

• My Six Parents (FailSafe Festival, NYC, 2017–2019)—Writer/Performer
• Matilda (J Center Stage, 2019)—Choreographer 
• Little Women (Connecticut Theatre Company)—Choreographer and Fight Director 
• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (J Center Stage, 2018)—Choreographer
• Theater Camp Director (West Hartford JCC, 2018–Present)