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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

On Teaching Work Ethic
Podcast
On Teaching Work Ethic
by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, Jennifer Blackmer, Marcus Lane
26 March 2024
Welcome to Teaching Theatre
Podcast
Welcome to Teaching Theatre
by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, Valerie Curtis-Newton, Cynthia Henderson
19 March 2024
Building Trust in New Waters as a Teaching-Artist
Essay
Building Trust in New Waters as a Teaching-Artist
by Deen Rawlins-Harris
19 March 2024
In a World Where Everyone Has Vocal Training
Essay

In a World Where Everyone Has Vocal Training

31 August 2013

Holly L. Deer writes about the politics of the female voice, and the hypothetical world in which all of us would have professional training for our speech.

The Dramaturg Corps of the Potomac
Essay

The Dramaturg Corps of the Potomac

Training New Play Dramaturgs

16 August 2013

Matt McGeachy reports on the New Play Dramaturgy Intensive at the Kennedy Center, and how listening is much better than speaking when it comes to developing new work.

Portrait of Shoshana Greenburg.
Valuing the MFA
Essay

Valuing the MFA

25 July 2013

In the short-term, the reward is learning more about musical theatre writing. The long-term benefits of getting a MFA include larger successes.

Portrait of Christina Anderson.
Ka-Boom
Essay

Ka-Boom

23 July 2013

Christina Anderson found that the MFA program does not show the realities of the American theatre but gives space for someone to consider their ideal theatre.

BA in Professional Make-Believe
Essay

BA in Professional Make-Believe

20 July 2013

Srda Vasiljevic writes about the imporance of being a well-rounded creator, and how BA programs are preparing students to make a different type of theater.

A portrait of Harvey Young.
A Zone of Support
Essay

A Zone of Support

18 July 2013

Harvey Young writes about his experiences in graduate school and how the relationships he formed there trumped the academics in many ways - professional and personal.

We Might Be Right
Essay

We Might Be Right

A Libertarian Voice in the Theatre

17 July 2013

Caleb Winebrenner shares why he believes the Libertarian voice is important in theatre. 

Will Somebody Just Tell Me What a Dramaturg is?
Essay

Will Somebody Just Tell Me What a Dramaturg is?

16 July 2013

Elliot B. Quick examines what it means to be a dramaturg, and what role the MFA has in determining those definitions.

Do I Dare
Essay

Do I Dare

11 July 2013

Julie Felise Dubliner writes about her experience as a dramaturg, and examines the role of the MFA in the world of literary management.

Portrait of Jon Kern.
Bobbing in the Sea of Sunk Cost
Essay

Bobbing in the Sea of Sunk Cost

9 July 2013

Jon Kern ruminates on how a writer can challenge themselves to develop, create, and find community without the structures of an MFA.

An exclamation point and a question mark written on top of one another.
Holler
Essay

Holler

Too Late for Law School?

8 July 2013

Too Late for Law School asks Holler whether or not to stay in the field, especially when the priviledge of family money is not an option.

Hands making pottery out of clay.
On Not Buying a Statue
Essay

On Not Buying a Statue

4 July 2013

Skills developed in theatre school can be the clay for a career outside of a theater that better suits your lifestyle needs without compromising your intellectual integrity.

Banner ad for Penumbra Theatre Company.
Creating Culture Warriors
Essay

Creating Culture Warriors

My Internship with Penumbra’s Summer Institute

3 July 2013

Jeff Freeman details his experience of interning with Penumbra Theatre.

Portrait of Aaron Carter.
Practice. Practical. Practicum.
Essay

Practice. Practical. Practicum.

2 July 2013

Getting an MFA is a big decisions-it costs not only money but also time. For theatre artists, an MFA is not a career move so debt, school's program, and personal wants should be considered.

A shadow on a sidewalk.
In or Out
Essay

In or Out

Demystifying the MFA

30 June 2013

Feinberg and Dibo agonized over the pros and cons of dedicating time to a MFA program. Their curation of the MFA series is to shed light on why and why not to get the degree.

Portrait of Carlos Murillo.
Interview with Carlos Murillo
Essay

Interview with Carlos Murillo

7 June 2013

Anne García-Romero and Alice Tuan interview Carlos Murillo about his exploration of art and playwriting. Murillo questions how storytelling and technology will merge together.

Interview with Brooke Berman
Essay

Interview with Brooke Berman

6 June 2013

Anne García-Romero and Alice Tuan interview Brooke Berman to find that academia helped Berman find the backbone to advocate for her work.

A burst of colorful powder on a dark background.
On Teaching as Creative Practice
Essay

On Teaching as Creative Practice

5 June 2013

Deborah Stein talks teaching as a creative process and shares a self-created exercise purposed to inspire collaboration among her students.

Portrait of Kristina Wong.
Interview with Kristina Wong
Essay

Interview with Kristina Wong

4 June 2013

Anne García-Romero and Alice Tuan interview Kristina Wong about her “trial by fire” playwriting. Wong’s passionate about theatre that cannot be matched by a camera.

Portrait of Daniel Alexander Jones.
Interview with Daniel Alexander Jones
Essay

Interview with Daniel Alexander Jones

3 June 2013

Daniel Alexander Jones discusses the art of learning from mentors and value of learning the craft of playwriting.

A messy writer's desk with a journal and a typewriter.
Teaching Playwriting in the 21st Century
Essay

Teaching Playwriting in the 21st Century

2 June 2013

Anne García-Romero and Alice Tuan shed wisdom on teaching playwriting and offer their own exercises.

Anatomy of a Showcase
Essay

Anatomy of a Showcase

2 May 2013

With the future on the line, when the material is left to the students to choose for their showcase-honest and respect is the answer to making this opportunity rich for everyone.

 

Logo for Dramatists Guild.
Musical Bookwriting Seminar by Librettist John Weidman at Dramatists Guild
Video

Musical Bookwriting Seminar by Librettist John Weidman at Dramatists Guild

Thursday 18 April 2013
New York, NY, United States

The Dramatists Guild of America is thrilled to present a bookwriting seminar with celebrated librettist, and former Dramatists Guild president, John Weidman livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 18 April 2013 from 3 p.m. PDT - 4:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 5 p.m. CDT - 6:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6 p.m. EDT - 7:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 22:00-23:30 GMT / 11 p.m. BST - 12:30 a.m. BST (London).

Banner poster for Humana Festival of New American Plays.
The Playwright as Teacher and Student Panel at Humana Festival of New American Plays
Video

The Playwright as Teacher and Student Panel at Humana Festival of New American Plays

Saturday, March 30 2013
Louisville, KY, United States

Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays presented a panel discussion The Playwright as Teacher and Student livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday, March 30 at 7 a.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 9 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 10 a.m. EDT (New York) / 14:00 GMT (London). Click here to find your local time.

 

 

Banner logo for Georgetown School of Foreign Service.
Interview with Derek Goldman and Cynthia Schneider by Jojo Ruf
Essay

Interview with Derek Goldman and Cynthia Schneider by Jojo Ruf

18 March 2013

Jojo Ruf chats with Derek Goldman and Cynthia Schneider about founding the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University.