Theatre Education, Pedagogy, and Training

In this section, content focuses on best practices and challenges regarding education and scholarship in the theatre. Check out the Latinx Theatre Commons’ series Pedagogy Notebook, where artists, educators, and scholars share their process and work in the classroom, and David Dudley’s long-running guide to theatre education.

The Latest

Designing Collaboration: In Search of a Taxonomy of Collaborative Methods

Essay

Designing Collaboration: In Search of a Taxonomy of Collaborative Methods

by Emily McConnell

17 May 2022

Gender Euphoria, Episode 4: Training Cisgender Producers and Directors: It’s More than Remembering Pronouns

Podcast

Gender Euphoria, Episode 4: Training Cisgender Producers and Directors: It’s More than Remembering Pronouns

With Maybe Burke

by Nicolas Shannon Savard, Maybe Burke

3 March 2022

Step One, Collaborate: Emerson Stage Plans a Season

Essay

Step One, Collaborate: Emerson Stage Plans a Season

by Annie G. Levy

1 March 2022

Seven actors on stage talking amongst themselves.

Designing Collaboration: In Search of a Taxonomy of Collaborative Methods

Emily

McConnell

Essay

Designing Collaboration: In Search of a Taxonomy of Collaborative Methods

17 May 2022

Emily McConnell calls for a common language to categorize designers’ collaborative relationships with directors. To find that common ground, theatremakers will have to reject the notion that each production requires a unique approach to collaboration.

Gender Euphoria, Episode 4: Training Cisgender Producers and Directors: It’s More than Remembering Pronouns

Podcast

Gender Euphoria, Episode 4: Training Cisgender Producers and Directors: It’s More than Remembering Pronouns

With Maybe Burke

3 March 2022

Gender Euphoria, the podcast, host Nicolas Shannon Savard sits down with actor, writer, and human rights advocate Maybe Burke to talk about her role at the Transgender Training Institute and their signature course, “Supporting Transgender Actors & Creatives.”

Step One, Collaborate: Emerson Stage Plans a Season

Annie G.

Levy

Essay

Step One, Collaborate: Emerson Stage Plans a Season

1 March 2022

Annie G. Levy shares how Emerson Stage works to make their season selection process as open, collaborative, and student-driven as possible.

Introduction to Gender Euphoria

Nicolas Shannon

Savard

Podcast

Introduction to Gender Euphoria

2 February 2022

Welcome to Gender Euphoria, the podcast! In this episode, host and producer Nicolas Savard explains the origin story of this new podcast and what (and who) we should expect to hear from this season.

Four actors stand under a spotlight facing a seated audience.

Visions about Higher Education in the Performing Arts:

Panna

Adorjáni

Essay

Visions about Higher Education in the Performing Arts:

A Multi-Perspective from Eastern-Central Europe

6 December 2021

Freelance theatre, text, and sound maker Panna Adorjáni shares her perspective on what it means to have a good university theatre program in Eastern-Central Europe through conversations with other graduates from that region.

Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work

Public Theater

Video

Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work

A Playwriting Masterclass

Monday 29 November 2021

United States

The Public Theater in New York City presented Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work — a playwrighting masterclass — livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 29 November 2021 at 12 p.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC -10) / 1 p.m. AKST (Juneau, UTC -9) / 2 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 4 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 5 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 22:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 23:00 CET (Berlin, UTC +1).

a section of the cover of the book timelines: writings and conversations.

SEGAL TALKS: Bonnie Marranca

Segal

Center

Video

SEGAL TALKS: Bonnie Marranca

A Conversation About Timelines

Monday 22 November 2021

United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presented SEGAL TALKS, a conversation about curating, producing, and presenting theatre and performance in the time of COVID with Bonnie Marranca, livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 22 November 2021 at 9 a.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 11 a.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 17:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Berlin, UTC +1).

Image of people sitting outdoors at a park during a performance.

Narratives of Activity in Traveller Drama Literature

Rodrigó

Balogh

Essay

Narratives of Activity in Traveller Drama Literature

Examining the plays It’s a Cultural Thing by Michael Collins and The Hardest Word and Today’s Lesson by Richard R. O’Neill

18 November 2021

Rodrigó Balogh, artistic director of the Independent Theater Hungary, shares his work and experiences creating a workshop series for Roma youth focused on several plays from the Roma Heroes International Theater Festival.

Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work

Public Theater

Video

Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work

A playwriting masterclass

Monday 15 November 2021

New York City, virtual

The Public Theater in New York City presented Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work — a playwrighting masterclass — livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 15 November 2021 at 12 p.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC -10) / 1 p.m. AKST (Juneau, UTC -9) / 2 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 4 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 5 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 22:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 23:00 CET (Berlin, UTC +1).

blue graphic of actor onstage against yellow background

(Re)Imagine Educational Theater Pt 2: Arts Educators

Seattle Rep

Video

(Re)Imagine Educational Theater Pt 2: Arts Educators

A Series That Brings Artists and Community Leaders Together

Thursday 4 November 2021

United States

Seattle Rep Presents (Re)Imagine Educational Theater Pt 2: Arts Educators livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 4 November 2021 at 5 p.m. PDT (Seattle, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Academia Through a Black Woman's Lens

Red Pill

Video

Academia Through a Black Woman's Lens

How can we help ensure the safety of Black women in Academia?

Thursday 28 October 2021

United States

Tonya Pinkins presented Through A Black Woman’s Lens—Academia livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 28 October 2021 at 2 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 4 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Exit Descartes: Reimagining Theatre Training Through an Embodied Lens

Eve

Bernfeld

Essay

Exit Descartes: Reimagining Theatre Training Through an Embodied Lens

18 October 2021

Eve Bernfeld discusses creating a culture of care in her Alexander Technique classes by paying attention to embodiment. She asks: What if we heal the false rift between mind and body in our theatre making and training?

(Re)Imagine Educational Theater Pt 1: Youth

Seattle Rep

Video

(Re)Imagine Educational Theater Pt 1: Youth

A Series That Brings Artists and Community Leaders Together

Thursday 14 October 2021

United States

Seattle Rep presented (Re)Imagine Educational Theater Pt 1: Youth livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 14 October 2021 at 5 p.m. PDT (Seattle, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Three actors sitting on white cubes onstage.

Gender Casting: Theatre Educators in the United States Need to Pay Attention to Title IX Developments

Kimberly

Messer

Essay

Gender Casting: Theatre Educators in the United States Need to Pay Attention to Title IX Developments

14 October 2021

Kim Messer writes about the potential impact that anti-trans laws aimed at school athletics could have a broader impact on theatre students. To prepare themselves to advocate for students, theatre educators must deepen their own understanding of these policies.

Photo of seven people holding each other posing for a photo in a line.

Not a Pipeline Problem, a Problem with the Pipeline

Essay

Not a Pipeline Problem, a Problem with the Pipeline

1 September 2021

Designers Calvin Anderson, Sherrice Mojgani, and Amber Whatley share their individual perspectives on how design education in the United States is lacking and what they are doing to fill in the gaps.

Several actors wearing vintage work clothing and standing in stage boats in pairs or groups of three.

How to Create an Actively Inclusive Theatre Course

David

Valdes

Essay

How to Create an Actively Inclusive Theatre Course

16 August 2021

David Valdes shares eleven steps educators can take to ensure their course offerings are more actively inclusive.

Unrehearsed Futures

Embodied Poetics

Drama School Mumbai

CTDPS, Cape Town

Video

Unrehearsed Futures

Episode 16: Neutrality in Actor Training: Help or Hindrance

Thursday 22 July 2021

South Africa

Presenting Unrehearsed Futures Episode #16: Neutrality in Actor Training: Help or Hindrance livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 22 July 2021 at 4 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 9 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 10 a.m. SAST (Cape Town, UTC +2).

Ashley Malafronte in a black shirt and kakis painting on a stone wall.

Internships are Dead. Long Live Internships.

Essay

Internships are Dead. Long Live Internships.

22 July 2021

Ashley Malafronte and Michael DeWhatley ask: How can future-minded theatres revolutionize their internship programs to create a more diverse, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial set of initiatives?

A woman holding a syringe and examining it.

Transcending Theatre: My Time with Robbie McCauley

Tara Brooke

Watkins

Essay

Transcending Theatre: My Time with Robbie McCauley

20 July 2021

Tara Brooke Watkins reflects on the legacy of Robbie McCauley, who challenged the status quo of theatre systems, from the classroom to the rehearsal room to productions.

Several half-naked actors with lacrosse sticks. One actor is front and center, wearing a red hat and white underwear, with his hands behind his head. The actresses on his sides are using lacrosse sticks to cover their chests.

The Island of Lost Chorus Boys: Professional Theatre’s Broken Promise to Accept Us in All Our Glorious Queerness

Kieron

Cindric

Essay

The Island of Lost Chorus Boys: Professional Theatre’s Broken Promise to Accept Us in All Our Glorious Queerness

8 July 2021

Kieron Cindric talks about how the theatre industry—and, in particular, musical theatre—has continually reinforced a narrow and harmful version of masculinity.

event poster for this episode of the stories women carry.

Arts Education and the Focus on Africa for the Future

Tebere Arts Foundation

Nairobi Musical Theatre Initiative

Video

Arts Education and the Focus on Africa for the Future

The Stories Women Carry: Creative Practice of African Women from the Continent

Monday 24 May 2021

Kenya

Tebere Arts Foundation presented the conversation Arts Education and the Focus on Africa for the Future with The Stories Women Carry: Creative Practice of African Women from the Continent livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 24 May 2021 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 8 p.m. EAT (Nairobi, UTC +3).

Mentorship Programs

Producer Hub

Video

Mentorship Programs

Join Producer Hub and X organizations as they give us insight into their mentorship programs

Thursday 20 May 2021

United States

Producer Hub presented the conversation Mentorship Programs with their series Producing Ethically in 2021 livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 20 May 2021 at 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

African Diaspora: Shaping the Future of African American Performance

Tebere Arts Foundation

Nairobi Musical Theatre Initiative

Video

African Diaspora: Shaping the Future of African American Performance

The Stories Women Carry: Creative Practice of African Women from the Continent

Monday 17 May 2021

Kenya

Tebere Arts Foundation presented the conversation African Diaspora: Shaping the Future of African American Performance with The Stories Women Carry: Creative Practice of African Women from the Continent livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 17 May 2021 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 8 p.m. EAT (Nairobi, UTC +3).

Two actors lifting another one from the top of a pile of hay.

Dismantle the Hierarchy: Best Practices for Creating a More Equitable, Consensual Theatre Classroom

Alli

St. John

Essay

Dismantle the Hierarchy: Best Practices for Creating a More Equitable, Consensual Theatre Classroom

17 May 2021

Alli St. John shares a guide she developed for directors of youth theatre to prioritize consent and safe practices for staging theatrical intimacy.

event poster with text for episode 6 of unrehearsed futures.

Unrehearsed Futures: Serious Play

Drama School Mumbai

Embodied Poetics

CTDPS, Cape Town

Video

Unrehearsed Futures: Serious Play

Towards Decolonizing Physical Theatre Pedagogies

Thursday 13 May 2021

South Africa

Presenting Unrehearsed Futures: Serious Play livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 13 May 2021 at 4 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 9 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 10 a.m. SAST (Cape Town, UTC +2) / 1:30 p.m. IST (Mumbai, UTC +5:30) / 6 p.m. AEST (Hobart, UTC +10).