ArtsPraxis: Volume 11, Issue 2

Abstract

In this issue, our contributors document and reflect on innovative educational theatre practices. Shavonne Coleman and Meriah Sage examine the pervasive absence of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) narratives in the history of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) and advocate for restorative documentation and inclusion. Gus Weltsek and Alycia Elfreich apply a Critical Performative Pedagogical (CPP) lens to Weltsek’s work with the Living Museum: The Empires Project, a five-year inquiry with a local STEM high school in the Midwest. Amy Petersen Jensen explores the potential benefits and complications of utilizing AI in the development of theatre/drama curriculum, emphasizing the critical need for innovative research practices to maximize AI's effectiveness in pedagogy. Six incarcerated artists—in partnership with prison arts scholars and practitioners—George Chavez, Andrew Draper, Matthew LaBonte, Angel Lopez, Terry W. Mosley Jr., Brett Phillips, Ashley Hamilton, Danielle Littman, and Clare Hammoor present a new model for forging shared humanity in correctional settings: Artistic Justice (AJ). Tahnee West, Peter Wright, and Robin Pascoe explore complexities faced by drama educators striving to cultivate meaningful relationships across diverse cultures. Drawing on decolonization theories and principles of applied drama education, strategies that foster change, decolonization, and community engagement, Kaitlin Orlena-Kearns Jaskolski studies how the universal languages of theatre can be reclaimed and decolonized to create more accessible and inclusive theatre, focusing on youth and community programs in Papua New Guinea. Finally, Donna C. Seage examines two steps taken by one high school program to address the issue of unintentionally neglecting students and the impacts these interventions had on the program, the culture, and the students.