Can Theatre for the Very Young Dare to Talk about Prejudice and Inclusion?

Abstract

In 2021, students at the University of Northern Colorado performed a filmed version of the play Blue by Annie Cusack Wood. This Theatre for the Young (TVY) piece asks audiences to look at themes of prejudice and inclusion for children under the age of five. In this first-ever U.S. study on TVY, the authors ask: what impact can a TVY play have on children’s understanding of prejudice and inclusion? Through surveys to pre-school teachers, the authors document the social and emotional impact of the play on very young children and analyze the potential of artist-educator collaborations to discuss, reflect, and think deeply about serious social issues with very young children and break silos between different sectors of education with similar educational aspirations.