Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
All's Well that Rehearses Well: How Theatre-informed Practices Foregrounds Equity and Empathy in Public Language Arts Classrooms78 views
Author
Stiffler, Marijke, English - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia
Advisors
Griffin, Cristina, English Department, University of Virginia
Abstract
In this thesis, I investigate the ways in which public secondary language arts classrooms can benefit from integrating practices developed in theatrical spaces. Namely, I outline the equity-centered benefits inherent in restructuring the classroom around continually reading aloud and in incorporating discussions of consent into academic spaces for high school students. These practices have the potential to make long-lasting impacts on students, including but by no means limited to evening the academic playing field for ESL/ESOL students and students who have been failed by the standardization of language arts education thanks to No Child Left Behind. I examine the capacity for drama-based practice to enrich a study of Renaissance plays and include some sample materials for how to teach such a unit per the Virginia BOE's 2025 mastery standards.
Degree
MA (Master of Arts)
Keywords
consent-based practice; language arts pedagogy; reading aloud; renaissance literature
Stiffler, Marijke. All's Well that Rehearses Well: How Theatre-informed Practices Foregrounds Equity and Empathy in Public Language Arts Classrooms. University of Virginia, English - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, MA (Master of Arts), 2025-04-30, https://doi.org/10.18130/xn4h-pj40.
