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

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

Essay

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

by Alli St. John

17 May 2021

Unrehearsed Futures: Serious Play

Video

Unrehearsed Futures: Serious Play

Towards Decolonizing Physical Theatre Pedagogies

Thursday 13 May 2021

South Africa

Arts Education and the Focus on Africa for the Future

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

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).

yellow border around black text mentorship programs.

Mentorship Programs

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

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).

event poster with text for unrehearsed futures episode four.

Unrehearsed Futures: Theatre Making

Drama School Mumbai

Embodied Poetics

CTDPS, Cape Town

Video

Unrehearsed Futures: Theatre Making

Episode 4: Transference and Transposition - Notes from across the boundaries of the original medium

Thursday 29 April 2021

South Africa

Presenting Unrehearsed Futures: Theatre Making livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 29 April 2021 at 5 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 10 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 11 a.m. SAST (Cape Town, UTC +2) / 2:30 p.m. IST (Mumbai, UTC +5:30) / 7 p.m. AEST (Hobart, UTC +10).

person in orange sweater writing in a notebook.

Negotiating Quotidian: Performing the Everyday

Segal_Centre_Logo

blue background with white text The Graduate Center

Ph.D. Program in Theatre and Performance, The Graduate Center, City University of New York”

Video

Negotiating Quotidian: Performing the Everyday

Investigating how performing the everyday has recently changed our perception of and experience in theatre and performance

Wednesday 28 April and Thursday 29 April 2021

United States

The Ph.D. Program in Theatre and Performance, The Graduate Center, City University of New York presented Negotiating Quotidian: Performing the Everyday livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 28 April and Thursday 29 April 2021.

event poster for unrehearsed futures episode two.

Unrehearsed Futures: Transcendence

Drama School Mumbai

Embodied Poetics

CTDPS, Cape Town

Video

Unrehearsed Futures: Transcendence

Episode 2: Thinking expansively about theatre and performance training

Thursday 15 April 2021

South Africa

Presenting Unrehearsed Futures: Transcendence livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 15 April 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).

Image of an adult and child standing on a stage with recording equipment.

Why Are There No Great Kids of Color in the Performing Arts?

Essay

Why Are There No Great Kids of Color in the Performing Arts?

A Black Artist and Arts Educator’s Exploration on Challenges for Kids of Color in Arts Spaces

12 April 2021

Ilasiea Gray looks at the many challenges kids of color face in the performing arts, including access and exposure, the lack of educators of color, and more.

Unrehearsed Futures event poster.

Unrehearsed Futures: Conversations in Theatre Pedagogy

Drama School Mumbai

Embodied Poetics

CTDPS, Cape Town

Video

Unrehearsed Futures: Conversations in Theatre Pedagogy

Episode 1: Planetarity in Theatre Pedagogy

Thursday 8 April 2021

Cape Town, South Africa / Hobart, Australia / Mumbai, India

What is planetarity? And why is this the moment for it in theatre pedagogy? Livestreamed Thursday 8 April 2021 at 1 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 9 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 10 p.m. SAST (Cape Town, UTC +2).

zoom video chat of several people

Using Critical Fabulation for History-Based Playwriting

Essay

Using Critical Fabulation for History-Based Playwriting

3 March 2021

Holly Derr and Calley N. Anderson sit down to talk about how Calley adopted historian Saidiya Hartman’s theory of critical fabulation when writing her new play The Story and the Teller about the effect of the Memphis yellow fever epidemic of 1878 on African Americans and immigrants.

seven actors onstage

"What does it mean to be a woman of color and in leadership?"

Essay

"What does it mean to be a woman of color and in leadership?"

A Conversation with Nicole Brewer and Sophia Skiles

19 January 2021

Sophia Skiles, the incoming head of acting for the Brown/Trinity MFA program, and Nicole Brewer, who recently joined the acting faculty at the Yale School of Drama, dive deep into a conversation about what it means to be a woman of color in leadership.

zoom video chat of several people

Seven Performers Living in Bogotá / Siete artistas viviendo en Bogotá

Essay

Seven Performers Living in Bogotá / Siete artistas viviendo en Bogotá

Actions and Reflections to Cope with the “New Normal” / Acciones y Reflexiones para Afrontar la "Nueva Normalidad"

1 December 2020

Michelle Yemayá notes that while Colombian theatre artists have found ways to face the unexpected changes this year, artists are still struggling to stay afloat. She talks about how she has adapted her practice under the circumstances and shares the stories of three other artists living and working as artists in Colombia right now. / Michelle Yemayá ha notado que, si bien los artistas del teatro colombiano han encontrado formas de enfrentar los cambios inesperados de este año, la lucha por mantenerse a flote es constante. Habla sobre cómo ha adaptado su práctica a las circunstancias y comparte las historias de otras tres personas que en este momento viven y trabajan como artistas en Colombia.

event graphic for the convesation: Performing Arts and Higher Education: Where Do We Stand Today?

Performing Arts and Higher Education: Where Do We Stand Today?

Fabrica de Pensule / The Paintbrush Factory

Video

Performing Arts and Higher Education: Where Do We Stand Today?

The current state of performing arts in higher education in Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, and Netherlands.

Wednesday 28 October 2020

Cluj, Romania

The Paintbrush Factory in Cluj, Romania presented a conversation Performing Arts and Higher Education: Where Do We Stand Today? livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 28 October 2020 at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 16:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 17:00 CET (Berlin, UTC +1) / 18:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

portrait of marvin carlson

SEGAL TALKS with Marvin Carlson

Segal_Centre_Logo

Video

SEGAL TALKS with Marvin Carlson

A conversations on US and global theatre and performance

Wednesday 23 September 2020

United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presented SEGAL TALKS: Marvin Carlson livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 23 September 2020 at 9 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 11 a.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 17:00 BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2).

How We Grew a Student-Centered Anti-Racist Movement at Our Institution of Learning

Essay

How We Grew a Student-Centered Anti-Racist Movement at Our Institution of Learning

10 September 2020

Tatiana Gil, Micah Rosegrant, Viviana Vargas, and Ciera-Sadé Wade—members of the Boston University School of Theatre Anti-Racist Student Initiative (BU SARSI)—speak to how, after a public outpouring of testimonials from former and current students of BU’s School of Theatre—detailing racism, sexism, ableism, and more—they rallied together to innovate ways of addressing the white supremacy within the school.

a laptop open to a presentation and written notes/sketches in front of it

Revolutionary Costume Pedagogy

Essay

Revolutionary Costume Pedagogy

2 September 2020

Michelle Souza looks at how costume designers and educators can dismantle the status quo of Western-focused, chronological teaching of historical garments and move toward a pedagogy that acknowledges and honors diversity, intersectionality, and globalism.

two actors onstage

Intimacy Direction in the Time of Physical Distance

Essay

Intimacy Direction in the Time of Physical Distance

25 August 2020

As artists and companies re-examine the failures of their infrastructures and unconscious biases, Emily C. A. Snyder argues that the lessons learned and challenges faced so far within the field of intimacy direction may be of particular value.

scan of a vintage text

The New Antitheatrical Prejudice

Essay

The New Antitheatrical Prejudice

18 August 2020

Seth Wilson argues that the relatively low reputation of the study and pursuit of theatre is the primary way antitheatricalism manifests itself today.

“The Count” for Liberal Arts Colleges

Sungmin (David)

Essay

“The Count” for Liberal Arts Colleges

Data on Gender and Race in the Production Seasons of Davidson College and Its Peers

11 August 2020

Sharon L Green and her research team—David Lee, Clare Harbin, Katie Stewart, and Landin Eldridge—discuss their recent project, which aimed to answer the question: Who is being produced by liberal arts colleges around the United States?

a hand reaching toward a laptop open to a zoom video call

A Drama Therapist’s Perspective on Teaching Theatre in Times of Crisis

Essay

A Drama Therapist’s Perspective on Teaching Theatre in Times of Crisis

21 July 2020

Nisha Sajnani, a drama therapist and educator, offers a few tips to other theatre educators who may be feeling overwhelmed about the prospect of teaching online or in person again this fall.

black and white photo of two people standing at a wall with several papers on it

Does the World Need More Undergraduate Playwrights?

Essay

Does the World Need More Undergraduate Playwrights?

15 July 2020

Playwriting professor Tom Horan talks about a recent dilemma he faced at his university: Should he add an official playwriting option for his students? Would that be ethical? In this piece, he presents his arguments for and against, and discloses his decision.

a lightskinned hand reaching up out of water

Faculty on Fall

Essay

Faculty on Fall

Stop Bailing and Build a Better Boat

24 June 2020

Kate Brennan and Kristen Cerelli argue that the education system needs to be radically restructured for fall 2020 and offer suggestions for how to go about this, including discounting tuition and accepting more students.

three actors onstage

How Liberal Arts Theatre Programs Are Failing Their Students of Color

Essay

How Liberal Arts Theatre Programs Are Failing Their Students of Color

17 June 2020

Miranda Haymon argues that liberal arts theatre programs are failing their students of color and offers four concrete steps that colleges and universities can adopt as they work to rectify this.

zoom video chat of several people

Creating a Culture of Play via Zoom

Essay

Creating a Culture of Play via Zoom

15 June 2020

Lavina Jadhwani offers artists several techniques to better utilize Zoom, whether as leaders of classrooms, theatremakers part of shows, or attendees of events.