Miranda B Giles and Professor George Nelson, Theatre and Media Arts

As the debate over the necessity of the arts in the classroom continues, this project allowed me to discover clear and measurable benefits for their inclusion in regular classroom instruction. The project began to take shape during the 100 or so hours of rehearsal that I attended as assistant stage manager for the BYU Young Company Touring show Metamorphoses. This play was adapted and designed to be seen by approximately 12,000 elementary and middle school students throughout Utah valley. From these hours of rehearsal I gleaned ideas for the workshop I would present to various classes of fourth graders who would be among the audience of the play. I was able to create a lesson plan and teaching aids from the ideas and information that we studied during the rehearsal process as well as through my own research and experience. All of this, in conjunction with Utah State Theatre Education Standards eventually led me to break the workshop into three 15 minute sections.

Each section was designed to educate and inspire critical thinking and creativity. Section one was a lecture discussing Greek mythology, adaptation and story arcs. Ideally, students would recognize that they were already familiar with mythology and that its influence surrounds them in modern media. We discussed the elements of a good story, and I provided background information about the play Metamorphoses. Next, in groups of 3-5, students created an original myth. Here it become clear whether the students were accustomed to thinking independently and having their creativity encouraged, or if they were habitually fed answers and talked down to. The story patterns that the students most frequently created were generally archetypal: love triangles, forbidden romances, social climbers, and quests for atonement. However, it is impossible to discount the effect of media and societal influence on the students’ ideas. To be sure, many of their ‘original’ stories had characters named Cinderella, or even Capt. Jack Sparrow, but more often than not, their tales would take an unexpected twist and defy their pop-icon expectations.

In the final section of the workshop one story from the class was chosen to be adapted for performance. This section allowed me to introduce many basic elements of theatre production work. Students gained a basic understanding of the various roles of theatre professionals such as Producer, Costume Designer, Director, and Properties Master, and also participated in the process of auditions, rehearsals, and stage movement. This practical application allowed me to communicate an exceptional amount of information in a very limited amount of time.

In an attempt to gauge the attitudes of educators towards the benefits of participation in theatrical experiences I conducted a survey of the teachers whose classes participated in the workshop. Most of these teachers were delighted to participate and reactions towards the workshop were positive.

While 100% of educators surveyed indicated that they do feel that theatre is a valuable educational classroom tool or subject for elementary school students, 80% of those teachers indicated that such experiences occur less than once every two months. Only 1 teacher of the 15 surveyed indicated that she initiates theatrical experiences on her own by having her students recite poetry as a class weekly and that additionally, once a month, “Poetry is acted out. We do story telling and write our own plays.” This indicates that educators believe in the benefits of theatre on their students, but that it is not regularly implemented in their classrooms.

When asked to rank specific benefits of theatre to students 30% of educators surveyed chose ‘tapping into atypical learning styles’ as the top benefit to students. Also highly ranked was development of ‘creative thinking’ abilities. In total, 93% of educators saw ‘measurable benefits’ to their students. When asked to cite specific benefits of the Metamorphoses workshop, ‘increased self-confidence or increased understanding of the subject (Greek mythology or theatre in general)’ was most commonly noted. With such important benefits available, we must ask why theatre is not being applied in classrooms.

From a list of 9 possible objections or drawback from implementation of theatre in the classroom every one of the educators surveyed indicated that either they ‘lack familiarity with the subject’ or they have ‘no time to include it in required curriculum.’ It would take separate research to confirm the conclusions this leads to: that educators feel over-burdened by regimental testing and standards and they are uncomfortable reaching out to atypical learners in atypical ways. Further study would also be needed to discover if teachers truly believe theatre to be unique in its ability to reach atypical learners and build self confidence. The never-ending quest of educators is to try and be all things to all students. Theatre is one way of reaching a group that can too often be overlooked or passed off as difficult. I hope to spend my career answering these and other important, yet difficult questions.

This project was in turns overwhelming and delightful. Each step presented a new and often unforeseen set of challenges. However, the results were well worth the effort. The personal goals that I initially set in creating this project were both accomplished. First, I have tested and strengthened my own abilities as an educator, and as a result have a clear objective for my future as a professional theatre outreach practitioner. Second, I was able to have a positive impact on the perceptions and lives of the students and teachers with whom I interacted. I also gained practical skills and information necessary for any potential educator to be aware of before committing themselves to the profession. I found that I truly enjoyed the time I spent in the classroom and look forward to implementing the skills and knowledge I gained from this project.