Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

Language Of Liberation? A Dialogue On Image Theatre Practice, Pavla Uppal, Wolfgang Vachon

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

Image work is a central and integral modality of Theatre of the Oppressed. This article examines liberatory, oppressive, and (at times) neglected aspects of Image work. Starting with the desire to know what the Image is really about, the authors invite the reader into a conversation by asking: why do we use Images, who are the Images for, how are Images experienced, and are they doing what is intended? Recognizing the inherent contradictions of using words alone to engage with Images, the authors employ a combination of text and photographs to facilitate this conversation.

Theatre Uni Alumni Newsletter, Fall 2017-Spring 2018, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Theatre.

Theatre UNI Alumni Newsletter

Inside This Issue:

-- Letter From the Department Head
-- The Best Week of My Life
-- Magical Moments in Lighting
-- A Cornerstone Project of Theatre UNI
-- Into the Woods Production Collaboration
-- Career Profiles
-- Theatre UNI National Advancement Board
-- Spotlight on Acting
-- Spotlight on Acting
-- An Actor's Path
-- A Letter from Steve Palmquist
-- Career Profile
-- Alumni Profile
-- Alumni Profile
-- Thoughts on Returning
-- Poster Retrospective

The Medical Student Manifesto, Ye Kyung Song

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

Under neoliberal education systems, medical students are unable to critically engage and develop a critical consciousness because they are forced to master standardized test-taking skills and memorize medical minutiae. As insider-outsiders, medical humanists and bioethicists can shed light on the culture and power dynamics inherent in medical education. Furthermore, the medical humanities could teach medical students to critically reflect on their own human values, and to become ethical and humanistic physicians in the face of the hierarchical culture of biomedicine and neoliberal university administrations. Medical educators, through critical pedagogy, can liberate the medical student and create the potential for changing …

“On Your Feet!”: Addressing Ableism In Theatre Of The Oppressed Facilitation, Caitlin E. Ray

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

Theatre of the Oppressed workshops strive to be inclusive and democratic; however, the facilitation of such workshops may actually limit inclusiveness when facilitators assume a certain level of physical ability in its participants. By considering disability scholarship and Universal Design pedagogy, I introduce specific ways in which facilitators can be more inclusive to the diversity of bodies in our workshops. I also include an example Image Theatre activity that applies my disability-conscious suggestions.

Social Movement Literacy: A Conceptual Overview, Jason Del Gandio

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This article provides a conceptual overview of social movement literacy (SML). The purpose of SML is to help the general public become more proficient at reading and understanding the nature and function of social movements. Social movements are invaluable contributors to our collective lives, but very few people—outside of activists and specialized academics—consciously educate themselves about movement activity. SML is envisioned as an interdisciplinary, public pedagogy endeavor that brings together both scholars and activists in the attempt to establish core skills and knowledges that enable people to recognize, discuss, perhaps participate in and, if need be, intelligently critique the ideologies, …

Poetry Slammin’ In The Slammer: Questioning The Limits Of Arts-In-Corrections, Rivka Rocchio

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

Through the process of creating—specifically of shaping new worlds of possibility through poetry and the performance of it—the arts may offer gaps in the punishment of incarceration and attempt the reclamation or claiming of individual expression. But what are the limits of artistic expression in a highly monitored and surveilled location? This reflective essay explores a performance of slam poetry by ten inmates inside Arizona's Eyman State Prison for an audience of twenty-five prisoners. Using Keoni Watson’s winning poem as a frame, Rocchio questions the reported impacts of the slam and the larger culpability of arts-in-corrections in simultaneously supporting and …

Prison Is Not…But It Can Be…, Keoni K. Watson

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This poem is a clarion call to action to confront our perceptions about what prison is and what it can be. The poem asks the reader to explore how they experience the “prison industrial complex” in their own lives, and how they might shift their views through perspective-taking to create a more holistically integrative prison experience for themselves and others. The value of the poem lay within the context in which it was created: written by person-first prison inmate Keoni Watson—during a three month performative workshop facilitated by Rivka Roccio at an Arizona State Penitentiary—to be performed as a spoken …

“I’M Not Talking To You” “You Don’T Have To!” Trans/Scripting The Bland-Encinia Case, Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This manifesto and trans/scription is a response to the specific violence that occurred between a Black female driver (Sandra Bland) and a white police officer (Brian Encinia) in Texas in July 2015 which resulted in Bland’s death. As an urgent #BlackLivesMatter concern, the author considers post-structuralist theories of identity and trans/scription as resources to inform identity performance and trans/imagination with more opportunities for life-giving rather than life-taking results. The author provides a series of questions and challenges to Theatre of the Oppressed practitioners for trans/scripting and trans/imaging moments of racial discrimination and terrorism for long-term rehearsal into, through, and beyond …

Setting The Stage For Black Choice: Theatre Of The Oppressed As Container For Resistance, Black Joy, Quenna L. Barrett

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This reflective essay utilizes examples of a Theatre of the Oppressed-based program with high school teens on Chicago’s South Side to illustrate how those teens use the program to express black joy as a resistance to: 1) the negative and incomplete narrative that is often told about black teens, and 2) the issues and conversations of race, police, and violence that are often experienced and ever-present. It also illustrates how those same teens, and myself as a facilitator, struggle with finding solutions to such issues in our TO work.

Enhancing The Effects Of Theatre Of The Oppressed Through Systems Thinking: Reflections On An Applied Workshop, Jennifer Luong, Ross Arnold

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

In this essay, we explore the idea that the use of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) techniques in the quest for social justice, transformation, and liberation can be enhanced through application of a skill set called systems thinking. We facilitated a workshop at the 2015 Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed conference in which we presented a brief introductory course in systems thinking, led guided practice using the method, and invited sharing and reflection about the fusion of systems thinking and TO. We explain the workshop in detail, discuss its impact on participants, and offer future directions for considering the …

Beyond The Wall In Dheisheh Camp: From Local To Transnational Image-Making, Philip Hopper

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

Murals and graffiti on the Israeli separation barrier near Bethlehem have been well documented by journalists and discussed in academic journals. Though the image and texts on the barrier may be “transnational” they are of little consequence to the local population. Murals and graffiti within the nearby Dheisheh Palestinian Refugee Camp consolidate local public opinion, generally about the occupation and dismemberment of the West Bank and specifically about individual martyrs or shaheed. The performative nature of these images goes beyond the act of painting them. Children from the Camp pose with these images, identifying with the abstraction of justice and …

Students Staging Resistance: Pedagogy/Performance/Praxis, Patrick Santoro, Uriah Berryhill, Lois Nemeth, Rebecca Townsend, Deirdre Webb

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This essay archives and reimagines a collaborative student performance—inJUSTICE—developed as part of a performance and social change course. Working within the framework of critical pedagogy, the intents of this piece are several: to offer strategies for teaching a course on performing resistance and mentoring students in the development of original work; to provide insight into how students, primarily at the undergraduate level, process performance in the context of social change, as well as apply course concepts and practices in their own performance work; and to affirm a body-centered, performative pedagogy in the classroom. Also included is a video of the …

Imaginative Acts Of Resistance: Dramatic Storytelling In An Elementary School Classroom, Shannon K. Mcmanimon

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This critical ethnographic project draws upon literature on imagination, critical literacy, and theatre to explore a sixth-grade class’s participation in a critical literacy and creative drama program. Through examples from the storytelling practices of the Neighborhood Bridges program, I outline how students and teachers (including a teaching artist) imagined, co-created, and revised storylines in their classroom; this collaboration provides an alternative to the common narrative of the constrained urban public school classroom. The resulting imaginative acts of resistance: 1) encourage and empower urban elementary students to enact relevant, collaborative community in their classrooms; 2) engage meaningful—not just functional—literacies; 3) ask …

Underrepresented: In The Margins Of Education, Jennifer L. Erdely

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This poem documents and serves as a call to action to confront our perceptions in spaces of learning. The format of the poem serves as a way to “give perspective” (Faulkner 2009, 92) to those who are marginalized while contemplating voice, ownership, and responsibility. This poem’s importance lies in its margins—in those blank spaces where we as teachers, scholars, and students can write how we decide to engage our own identities, pedagogies, and performances with what is on the page. Poems allow space for other voices to be expressed—the blank space on the page is the place of freedom for …

Online Only Classes And Critical Dialogue: Toward A Faustian Bargain Ideal For Virtual Education, C. Kyle Rudick

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

As distance learning and Online Only Classes (OOCs) become more prevalent in higher education, it becomes increasingly urgent that critical-democratic educators continue to work toward a better understanding of liberatory praxis through technology. The goals of this essay are to explain why critical dialogue cannot be realized in OOCs, describe how blended brick-and-mortar/virtual classes may be advantageous for a critical agenda, and help orient future scholarship concerning critical pedagogy and technology toward a “Faustian bargain” ideal argued by Neil Postman. In order to reach these goals, I outline two types of educators that I believe have the most at stake …

Shaking The Hands Of Our Mentors: Boal And Freire And Us, Katherine Burke, Mariana K. Leal Ferreira, Mark Weinberg

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This collection of three personal narratives documents the ways in which a radical mathematics educator, a socially conscious but disillusioned theatre-maker, and a social activist seeking tools for change discovered the techniques of Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed and met the wonderful men who developed them.

Editor’S Introduction To The Inaugural Issue Of Pto Journal, Jennifer L. Freitag

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This brief note from the editor provides an introduction to the journal, the philosophy that has driven its development, what makes it similar to and different from other professional journals, and the individuals and organizations responsible for its inception.

Theatre Uni Brochure, The 2015–2016 Season, University Of Northern Iowa

Theatre UNI Season Brochure

Inside this issue:

-- Independence
-- The Glass Menagerie
-- The Trojan Women

Empowering Elementary Teachers To Explore Critical Literacy Through Drama-Based Instruction, Courtney J. Jensen

Graduate Research Papers

This research project comes in the form of a professional development project combining the theories of critical literacy for elementary students and drama as a form of arts integration in literacy instruction. The project consists of six workshop sessions intended for willing elementary school teachers looking to expand their thinking around literacy instruction. Participants experience introductions to drama as an instructional approach by learning three specific strategies, including tableau, character interviews, and writing-in-role. They also learn about the basic elements of critical literacy by engaging in self-exploration and reflection, along with participating in research-based learning exercises intended to extend individuals' …

Theatre Uni Alumni Newsletter, Fall 2015-Spring 2016, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Theatre.

Theatre UNI Alumni Newsletter

Inside This Issue:

-- Letter From the Department Head
-- UNI Students Taking (Summer) Stock
-- Ruth Margraff
-- Independence
-- Recent Alumna
-- Taft at Okoboji
-- Isabella and the Mountain
-- Touring with Feld Entertainment
-- Iowa Thespians Festival
-- Alumni Profiles
-- Puppets on Tour
-- Spectrum
-- Phelps Conference/ Audition Support Fund

Next To Normal: A Costume Design Based In Psychological Research, Grace R. Kinser

Honors Program Theses

Throughout my life my two main interests have been theatre and people. When I came to UNI I found a way to pursue these interests through my education, with a psychology major and a theatre minor. I had the first idea for my thesis when I had the opportunity to take some upper level costume design classes alongside some of my upper level psychology courses, and I noticed how naturally the two areas of study fit together. As I began to choose my play, started to think about the psychological concepts in the shows I was reading, and progressed with …

Teen Theatre: Exploring The Role Of The Young Adult In Art And Life, Jessica J. Vaught

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to summarize my exploration with a group of teenagers of two scripts and our experiences throughout the process. The scripts chosen fit two qualifications: I considered them to be examples of true quality in playwriting and they addressed adolescent self-identification. In rehearsals the teens and I discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each script we read and chose to perform a staged reading of the one we considered better suited for our ensemble. A discussion of my decision to direct a staged reading rather than a full-fledged production can be found in the Creative …

"From Research To Realized Garments": A Costume Design Process For Dying City, Tori Rezek

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of my thesis project is to develop and document an approach to costume design that would support this method by creating realistic visual images of the characters the actors developed. This portfolio displays my complete costume design process for Dying City. It includes notes, sketches, research images, and charts that helped inform the final costume design for the production. The collaborative processes I participated in with the production team (involving the director; scenic, lighting, and sound designers; and stage management) and the build team (the costume technical director, cutter/drapers, and stichers) also aided in the development of my …

Lighting Design And Development Process For The Strayer-Wood Theatre's Production Of On The Verge, Michael Franklin Brown

Honors Program Theses

I chose to do this project because it was the logical final step in my theatre education at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). I began my education at UNI with the goal of working as a mainstage lighting designer at the Strayer-Wood Theatre, and I worked my way through the ranks to reach this position. I have aspirations to design lights for professional theatre, and I believe this fully realized project will be a great example of my work to show potential employers.

This portfolio will showcase the steps I took to complete the project and written and visual …

Multilingual Theatre: Community Value And Future Education Necessity, Diana Milree Garles

Honors Program Theses

This project is the culmination of my two passions: theatre and language. For me, these two things are priceless pieces of human identity, whether used consciously or not. I imagine there are very few people who have never played a role, or portrayed a certain character to embody a facet of their personality. I believe this research presents a natural, practical option for community and educational development through the use of theatre techniques. Language is a supporting element in theatre, and theatre can use language as an educational tool for exposure and for further understanding of many different cultures and …

Playing The Part: An Actress Prepares The Role Of Cathy In The Last Five Years, Katy Slaven

Honors Program Theses

My honors thesis project took the creative/performance-oriented form. I embarked on (in the words of my advisor, Jay Edelnant) a "self-pedagogical case-study centered on role preparation." My task was to prepare the role of Cathy from the musical The Last Five Years using a process I developed based on combining my musical and theatre training with outside resources.

I chose to do this project for my honors thesis for many reasons. First of all, I was always looking for more opportunities to do musical theatre. I have learned that in order to get anything you want in life, and especially …

The Impact Drama Has On Enabling International University Students To Assimilate Into The American Culture, Julie Baldwin

Honors Program Theses

We often take for granted how accepted we are by others around us. Without realizing it, we may forget we belong to a larger community connected by the culture of the United States that shapes the way we understand the world. Culture plays an invaluable role in much of how we live. According to Marcelle E. DuPraw and Marya Axne, authors of the article, "Working on Common Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge, "our culture "influences how we approach problems, and how we participate in groups and in communities" by shaping our communication and decision-making styles, attitudes toward conflict and disclosure, and approaches …

Directing Dead White Males: A Year In The Trenches Of Teaching, Emily Eisenman

Honors Program Theses

I co-produced and directed the full-length play Dead White Males: A Year in the Trenches of Teaching for the UNI Interpreters Theatre as my Senior Honors thesis project. Co-producing and directing this project gave me the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students, members of the Cedar Valley community, and UNI faculty and staff. In doing this project, I was able to explore positive and negative aspects of education that had not been discussed in my education courses as of yet, in addition to gaining experience in producing and directing a major theatrical production, which I wish to do in my …

The Effects Of Using Music And Movement To Enhance Learning, Lisa L. Snitker

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews the effects of using music and movement to enhance learning in early childhood years and in the elementary classroom. Information includes Howard Gardner's musical and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences, the effects of music on brain development in infants and children, studies in the effects of music on spatial-temporal reasoning, how music affects learning in the early childhood and primary years, and the effects of music on special learners. Appropriate for parents, caregivers, and educators, this review provides the basis for incorporating music into everyday early childhood and classroom experiences.

Competition And Success In Secondary School Drama Programs: A Comparative Study, Lisa Lenstra-Norman

Graduate Research Papers

Among the participants in secondary school drama programs, indirect competition, with its emphasis on mastery and personal achievement, may promote the development of successful behaviors such as having the ability to perform tasks skillfully, revealing a commitment to setting and reaching high expectations, showing responsibility, possessing self-esteem and caring for others. Therefore the purpose of this study is to determine an answer to the following question: does indirect competition enhance the success of participants in a secondary school drama program? Because one of the two schools studied does not take part in large group or individual speech contests, this study …