Theatre Education, Pedagogy, and Training

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Alex Ates speaks with Whit MacLaughlin—the experimental theatremaker who ventured into the online realm before it became our norm—about the intersection between digital technology and live performance and pedagogy.

Tracy C. Davis talks to instructors at Northwestern University about how they are preparing to teach acting and dance—quintessentially embodied forms dependent on human-to-human observation and whole-body involvement—online.

David Valdes talks about Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s work to shift their theatre department into a more truly equitable program, why using the right language matters in the process, and tips for individuals and institutions looking to be actively inclusive.

Kate Busselle talks about the invisible emotional labor inherent to teaching theatre and how, while leading a six-week summer intensive, she was able to establish professional boundaries and delegate some of the labor.

Lisa Channer, professor at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, talks about her school’s work in crafting a pledge to join the JUBILEE—a yearlong, nationwide theatre festival featuring work by traditionally excluded artists.

Beatrice Perez-Arche and Livian Yeh have a conversation about their experience in the Young Critics Program, “cancel culture” and criticism, gaining confidence, and more.

Pascale Florestal talks about the lack of critics of color in theatre and creating a training program in Boston, through Front Porch Arts Collective, to counter this problem.

Amy Steiger reflects on some of the classic acting texts—which are overwhelmingly written by cis white men and use colonialist, binary, and patriarchal language and narratives—and how teachers should be approaching them today.

Kitty Drexel and Regina Victor, both artists and critics, talk about working through biases, accountability, transparency, and more.

Holly L. Derr looks at the history of the Method, where it deviates from Stanislavsky’s System, and the connection between the Method and the behavior called out by #MeToo.

David Z. Saltz—director, installation artist, and teacher of digital performance—talks about the early days of digital media in theatre and the six main roles it plays in live performance.

Carley B. Johnson examines two recent projects that link theatre with virtual reality and augmented reality.