Theatre Education, Pedagogy, and Training

We produced "A Christmas Carol" and adapted our own versions of "Peter Pan" and "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe". The students reveled in the attention from their sold-out audiences. These children weren’t just spectators; they were the stars of the show. To a child who is constantly told, "You won’t be able to do that," by teachers or medical professionals, this was an unexpected feat.

Alice Stanley Jr. writes about an event she attended, responding to the suspension of an Arizona high school drama teacher that included Albee's who in his curriculum.

The neglect of playwriting as a genre in what I’ll lovingly call the creative writing industrial machine—poetry, fiction, and non-fiction/memoir are the ruling three—hasn’t escaped conference organizers. They actively encourage pitches for playwriting panels, which are typically in short supply. This year, this poet and part-time playwriting instructor made a point of attending as many theater-related panels as possible. It was an incredibly heartening experience, mainly due to the emphasis placed on the benefits of incorporating playwriting into creative writing and literature classrooms.

A sampling of some of the major non-profits suggests that there are at least, on average, 8 to 10 unpaid interns working at any given time in the average mid to large sized non-profit theater. There are over 300 non-profit theaters of varying sizes in New York alone. Even with conservative estimates, there are at least a thousand interns, (probably more) working tens of thousands of unpaid hours for the non-profit sector. There are hundreds of PAs. We’ve created a system that’s built on the backs of unpaid young people who just want to be a part of things.

Over the course of my freelance directing and teaching career, I have observed a troubling trend. The professional actors I direct, and the undergraduates I teach, are having an increasingly difficult time remembering their lines. Some, alarmingly so. When I encountered this initially, I sloughed it off as something particular to that actor, style of material, or time constraints. I made lots of excuses. But with each occurrence, over many years, actors’ inability to memorize has become harder and harder to ignore.

Meg Taintor shares insight on creating opportunities for college students to interact with professional theatremakers.

I have to wonder why Berliners are willing to bring their children to film or theater like "Pluto". Why are they more apt to present for their children’s consideration an unvarnished exploration of what is dark and hard in the world, and Americans are not?

Allison Vanouse continues her look at productions from university students in Boston. In this post she reviews Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Kafka's Metamorphosis, directed by Elaine Vaan Hogue

Allison Vanouse looks at student theatre — which is infrequently reviewed — choosing to critique Conspiracy (an adaptation of the 2001 HBO film), from the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club.

Amanda Boyle investigates the impacts and learning environments for LGBT students who have performed in gay plays in the past few years focusing specifically on productions of The Laramie Project, 8, and Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens at the University of Kansas.

Jack Serio looks into the consequences of censoring topics that high schools are trying to grapple with like sex and drugs. What happens when theatre is not allowed to be a place for discussion?

Kyle A. Thomas offers a reflective overview of his concerns around pursuing a PhD in theatre.

Ezra LeBank reimagines how theatres at universites should interact with their audiences. 

Daniel Kelin shares his experience working with a youth-oriented agencies in Pohnpei, the Marshall Islands, and American Samoa.

Many of us can attribute our path to the theater to a dynamic teacher in school: the teacher that inspired us or showed us a new side of ourselves. This series is a snapshot of today's high school theater educators across the country sharing about what they do and how and why they do this work.

Acting is a physical function. It starts with the body. The body is the instrument. A theater without actors is not a theater; yet theater without words exists the world over.

Mitch Mattson offers an overview of the work accomplished by Voices of Now: India.

Carrie Wood as a teacher has seen how theatre in high school can develop students.  Turning the tables, one student came into her program and shaped her and her husband’s lives forever.

When we devise theater with students, we can look at the abilities that can guide us in our creation of a piece.  Devised work allows students to be in a brave space of not knowing.   

Jennifer Bryner writes about the many benefits to being a high school teacher, and the joy of helping young artists discover what they're capable of.

Wednesday's topic is "High School Theater" and Thursday's topic is "Artistic Risk" moderated by The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis @pwcenter. Both days' conversations start at 11am PST (San Francisco) / 1pm CST (Austin) / 2pm EST (New York) / 19:00 GMT (London) / 8pm CET (Berlin). Use Twitter hashtag #newplay to participate.

Wyckham Avery talks about her reluctance with grading high school theatre and how she overcame it. 

Joe Markesbery talks about his time at The Orchard Project, and how working collaboratively with other young artists erased his fears of his artistic future.