How Theatre Teaches
"The techniques of the theater are the techniques of communicating" - Viola Spolin
In my time in college I have not only been developing my role as an educator but also as a theater practitioner. I did many theater productions as an actor in high school, but college has presented me with the challenge of participating in theater through more of the behind-the-scenes rules.
After graduating high school I knew I wanted to direct my own shows one day, specifically for young kids. I have learned that theater is more than just putting on a show, but it can be a tool to learn about society. Along with my education classes I have been working with youth to strengthen theater skills and learn about different social issues through the arts.
My Honors Contract for Teaching Arts in Elementary Schools: The Historical Puppet Skit (Fall Semester 2024)
One way that I tied theatre into my education classes was through an honors contract. Specifically for one of our projects in our art for elementary students course we had to make a historical figure puppet. After this we were to record a speech given by the person who we made the puppet after. To take it a step further for an honors contract me and another classmate who is in the honors program decided to create a skit between our two different puppets.
This had us thinking about character motivation and how dialogue is created. When creating this addition to our project it showed us how theater can be a helpful tool to connect students to literacy and social studies in an engaging way. Not only does it allow our students to learn new perspectives but also develop their ideas of characters such as emotions, thoughts, and actions.
Jaguar Leadership Network Engaged Learning Experience: Stage Managing for United Youth Theatre (Summer of 2025)
Secondly when I was a part of the organization Jaguar Leadership Network we had to complete an engaged learning experience that furthered us in our career experiences. For mine I decided to pursue an experience with theater and youth instead of my typical setting of just with education. This combined two of my career interests adding a wonderful experience to my resume.
Through this experience I learned what it meant to be backstage for a show and how much extra work goes into running it smoothly. Not only did it develop my management, communication, and thinking skills but it also allowed me to connect with a new network of people that align with my goals in life. I know that I am able to reach back out to the directors and creative team anytime to get more experiences or insight on putting on a big youth show.
Also from this experience I got to build an ePortfolio which I think also helped develop my graphic design skills that I can use both in a classroom and on stage. It was also a fun and creative way to display my skills so that I can share them with employers.
Assistant Directing for The Ensembles Theatre show "Once Upon an Alice" (Fall Play of 2025)
Ensemble Theatre is a children's theatre that does many workshops and plays for young performers after school. The director of the company used to do everything on her own, the directing, costuming, set building, stage managing, lighting and sound design, but has now started to recruit others to help her shape and build her shows.
For this show she asked my and two others to come on as assistant directors. During the show we managed the cast, helped build costumes, and even directed scenes. This was the first time that I directed a group of students this young so it was very helpful to learn how to. Through this show I got to connect with youth theatre instead of adult theatre which developed more management skills. Participating in this show solidifies my feelings of wanting to be a director or youth theatre professional in the future.
Firstly a big role that I played during this show was that I got to direct a scene within the show. Specifically I got to direct scene 7 where two of the generations of Alices' meet the characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum. I was chosen for this scene because there were dance movements that the Tweedledee and Tweedledum did. This is because I have some dance experience as well as choreographing a dance before.
Working with these actors was very exciting because I was able to give them direction and they brought it to life on stage. The most challenging aspect of this was getting the actors attention. Often we would get off tasks in which I had to work hard to bring them back to doing the scene. It was where I applied my classroom management skills and thought about each of my actors perspectives and motivations.
Secondly throughout the process I jumped in with helping create design aspects of the show. This was the first show that I got to construct props and costumes for and it taught me how to be resourceful and crafty with the items I have. I also needed to have a good line of communication with the director so that I could help bring her vision to the stage.
For example I made the White Rabbits trumpet and the Caterpillars glasses. For both of these I had too think about how they would be used on stage. The glasses were to be held by the actor so I made sure those were strongly built. On the other hand for the trumpet I thought that it would be held but instead it was on the actor costume. This I why communicating with the directors vision was so important so that I could make the items to look good on stage.
Click the image to check out the Ensembles Children's Theatre's website for other projects and information
Across my experiences, I’ve developed a deeper understanding of how theatre can serve as both a creative and educational tool. Not only does it foster learning on stage but also in the classroom. It can be used as a tool to learn about various social studies ideas through fun and engaging ways.
Along with this building a safe environment in a theatre space helps students feel like they belong. Through my experiences I have learned more about running a theatre production and the many steps that are apart of putting on a successful show. I know that these experiences are just the start to a bigger journey in the arts.