6 episodes
Teaching Theatre HowlRound Theatre Commons
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- Arts
Teaching Theatre, a new podcast series from HowlRound Theatre Commons, examines the challenges facing theatre training programs post-pandemic. Theatre departments are reevaluating the way they approach teaching and asking big questions as they consider how to support their students. In addition, many programs have begun the important work of creating more inclusive programming while reimagining the canon. Each episode invites theatre educators and practitioners to interrogate relevant topics–like collaboration and work ethic–while offering up ideas, strategies, and solutions that can be incorporated into programs and classrooms.
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On Reinventing the Canon
As conversations about the diversity and decolonization of syllabi continue, many theatre programs reconsider the texts they teach. In this episode, host Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder talks with Nathan Alan Davis from Boston University and Yizhou Huang from St. Louis University about reinventing the canon. They question who controls the narrative, discuss what qualifies as canon, and offer up some suggestions for course redesign.
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On Devising in the Classroom
More and more theatre departments are incorporating devising into their training. This highly collaborative process allows students to generate their own work, giving them ownership of the final product. Theatre professors Andy Paris (North Carolina School of the Arts) and Emily K. Harrison (Hamilton College) discuss their process, how they engage students, and the benefits of allowing students agency in the creation of their own work.
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On Season Selections and Casting
As universities put more emphasis on collaboration, inclusion, and student buy-in, theatre departments address these issues in their season planning and casting. In this episode, Dr. Colleen Rua, interim associate director and assistant professor of theatre, dives deep into the practices that the School of Theatre and Dance the University of Florida has put in place in order to create a more equitable planning and casting process.
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On Teaching Difficult Material
Whether in rehearsal or in the classroom, theatre educators are often confronted with uncomfortable conversations. In this episode of Teaching Theatre, Megan Gogerty (University of Iowa) and Darren Canady (University of Kansas) discuss how they tackle challenging material in their classrooms, reframing the idea of what is “difficult,” getting to the root of discomfort, creating classroom agreements.
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On Teaching Work Ethic
Guests Jennifer Blackmer (Ball State University) and Marcus Lane (University of Montevallo) join host Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder for a deep dive into how theatre professors can help our students find a healthy, productive work-life balance.
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Welcome to Teaching Theatre
Host Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder talks with Valerie Curtis-Newton (University of Washington) and Cynthia Henderson (Ithaca College) about the changes and challenges university theatre training programs are facing in this moment, as well as some strategies to address these issues. This premiere episode touches on many of the topics we will discuss throughout the season: work ethic, teaching difficult material, and reinventing the canon, and more.