Teaching the Anxious Actor

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to shed light on the challenges of teaching theatre to students with anxiety. It includes specific situations educators have faced, patterns of gaps in training or knowledge, and methods with which educators have handled these situations. The data for this article came from an extensive literature review as well as a qualitative research study wherein 11 educators of differing grade range and location were asked about their personal experiences as professional theatre educators. Subjects were given pseudonyms to protect their anonymity. School, city, and state names were omitted when possible. The data was coded and analyzed, with special note given to patterns in educator experience. The research revealed an almost unanimous gap in training, a wide variety of issues, and some repeated failures in communication between administration and educator. It also revealed a growing pool of practical advice from outside the typical education system. While the challenges explored are told from the educator’s perspective, they all originate with student needs and issues. In helping educators prepare for these challenges, one also helps the students who are suffering.