AATE 2025 National Conference

New York City Center, home of the Tony-honored Encores! series and the Fall for Dance Festival, has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. For the past three years, City Center has purposefully expanded its programming in Education & Community Engagement, more than doubling its reach to over 500 classrooms, 50 community sites, and 25,000 learners of all ages. During this session we will shine a light on City Center’s approach to serving historically underrepresented communities, building deep and sustainable partnerships, and how leading as internal change agents propelled our successful growth. City Center’s guiding values of curiosity, accessibility, inclusivity, and collaboration will serve as a backdrop for how we might all better serve our communities and create broader impact in learning and engagement work. And the excavated best practices, surprising discoveries, and unexpected setbacks we encountered will set the stage for an in-depth, hands-on experience focused on the journey of your performing arts center, classrooms and community spaces as you chart your own path toward successful expansion of the good work you do.

This 75-minute will explore how to embed social justice practices meaningfully into arts organizations whose mission doesn’t specifically include social justice. Centering care, agency, and identity, this interactive session invites participants to consider how theater and performing arts can serve as pathways for community change-making. New Victory Education has been working to embed equity practices more deeply in its core values. Inspired by drafted language: “We are dedicated to honoring and uplifting identity, fostering joyful resistance, and empowering kids, families, and teachers to take positive action through the arts”—as a foundation, this session will examine how to move beyond reactive approaches to create proactive, sustainable frameworks for addressing societal challenges. Participants will explore how to share power in learning and art-making spaces, diminish hierarchical structures, and center collaboration, collective care, and joy. The session will highlight New Victory’s “Speak Up, Act Out” program, which empowers young people to examine activism and artivism, identify hyperlocal issues, and create advocacy works through performing arts. Drawing from this model, the facilitators will showcase strategies for co-creating messaging around timely social issues and fostering impactful action plans that can directly benefit the local community. Participants will engage in meaningful dialogue and reflection while considering theater-based techniques to facilitate social justice-based conversations in their own communities. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or artist, you’ll leave with actionable tools to embed equity and justice into your practice. Now is the time to meet the moment, transforming arts organizations into catalysts for change. This session offers vital insights for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion while ensuring the arts remain a powerful force for social transformation.

It is estimated that 22% of children and adolescents struggle with disordered eating. Theatre education environments can inadvertently promote risk factors through our casting, costuming, and classroom practices, and few educators receive training on how to recognize and ameliorate these risks. This evidence-based, solutions-focused session will encourage self-reflection and provide participants with strategies to begin incorporating primary prevention practices into their pedagogy. Topics include addressing implicit and explicit anti-fat bias, supporting positive identity development, and modeling healthy habits and language.

Build and/or expand your teaching toolbox! With degrees in both performance and special education and over 12,000 learners taught, Burcher will help teaching artists unpack over a dozen educational teaching strategies for a variety of classroom environments. Explore classroom management strategies, behavior management strategies, educational models, learning models, assessment types, and more through theoretical and practical lenses. As a group we will briefly examine our practices for burnout triggers and learn strategies to avoid flaming out of the industry. Participants can expect to leave the session with applicable tools for their students, for their teaching, and for themselves.

The field of theatre education is growing in rich soil, thanks to the expanding influence of voices traditionally marginalized or silenced. Scholar/practitioners such as David Valdez (Beyond “Decolonizing the Syllabus”) and Sherrell D. Luckett et. al. (Training theatre students of colour in the United States), among others, are adept at transforming personal experiences into reflections that illuminate links between theory and practice, links that make us think. AATE’s Youth Theatre Journal and a new book comprised of chapters written solely by K - 12 classroom theatre educators and teaching artists (tentatively titled The Teachers of Color Writers’ Collective and co-edited Jo Beth Gonzalez and Martin Rodriguez) seek more new voices. This writing workshop engages representatives of the global majority who want support and guidance in crafting narratives into writing that profiles aspects of theatre education from their unique, and too often excluded, vantage points. This session is devoted to generating ideas for the Teachers of Color Writers’ Collective book chapter topics and YTJ submissions, and building connections between new writing partners. Examples of writing partnerships (among other possibilities) include pairings such as: a classroom practitioner with scholar, an experienced practitioner/scholar with a classroom practitioner, two classroom practitioners with a scholar/advisor.

The practice of Twinning engages two groups in a theatrical collaboration. Through the magic of modern technology, twin teen groups in Brooklyn and Turkey created cross-cultural connections from across the world. Their exploration of topics from Spiderman and Spotify to dating and family culminated in shared theatre pieces—and even a shared meal! In this session, you’ll have the chance to try out twinning, hear from project participants, and plan your own twinning experience.

As theatre institutions continue to grapple with racial and social justice movements educators of higher learning and administrators on college campuses are tasked with integrating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEI&A) into their organizational culture in a way that is sustainable, effective, and trauma-informed. This interactive workshop introduces The Artists Heal® Method —a groundbreaking framework that supports DEI&A implementation through a holistic, trauma-informed, and anti-racist approach. Using a four-pillar structure—Self & Selfhood, Trauma-Informed Practices, Creativity, Collaboration & Communion, and Practical Tools & Pathways—this session offers a path for theatre educators, college administrators, and students to foster healing-centered classrooms strategically dismantling harmful institutional systems. Participants will explore the concepts of DIS-functionality (disorganized systems) vs. DYS-functionality (dysregulated systems) to identify patterns within their own organizations that perpetuate inequity and harm. Through guided exercises and facilitated discussion, attendees will gain practical tools for navigating classroom management, setting boundaries, and leading DEI&A work in higher education spaces. This workshop is designed for theatre educators, administrators, and those committed to DEI&A work looking to create lasting change in their organizations. Attendees will leave with tangible strategies for implementing DEI&A efforts with integrity, fostering classroom cultures that center psychological safety, and addressing institutional resistance with confidence.

Early childhood drama rightly includes many games, open dramatic play, and creative dramatics, among other activities; however, engaging very young children in actual script writing is often overlooked. After all, at this age, children are learning the basics of language and still building the fine motor skills to physically put words on paper. This session will give drama educators/directors a manageable process to transform very young actors into script writers capable of composing their own monologues. Using a modified sentence frame format, young actors combine growing skills in ELA, academic language, performance sensibilities, and imagination to create a written monologue that they can perform or that can be performed by others. In addition, the session will include extensions of this project that help children build on their vocal and movement skills, as well as a number of ways for teachers and directors to differentiate the process for all actors' talents and abilities.

Just because it’s how it’s always been done, doesn’t mean it’s how it should be done! This workshop explores student-centered teaching strategies that can help us do better by the next generation of theatre makers. Attendees will leave with proven methods and corresponding projects that can immediately be applied to a variety of different learning environments and classroom types.

Seesaw Theatre Company creates original, sensory theatre for neurodivergent and disabled audiences. During this session we will introduce what sensory theatre is and why it is so vital to the theatre community. We will discuss how we devise and create sensory theatre and then gear it towards our intended audience. At Seesaw we create theatre that is accessible to all audiences from the very beginning instead of tacking accessibility on at the end. Theatre is a tool for creating connections and this can only be done when all audiences are included. Our shows subvert the notion that theatre is something to watch from afar, bringing the show to the participants and allowing them to interact with our cast on a personal level. The kids who come in as audience members create the shows as much as the cast does. We incorporate improvisational techniques, props, music and personalized interactions to engage our audience and help accommodate them on an individual level, providing an equitable theatre experience. After presenting about what it is we do we will take session participants through typical seesaw training, exploring the type of theatre we create. As we create sensory theatre a hands-on experience is much more effective and we encourage participants to explore what sensory theatre might mean to them. We will provide Seesaw sensory props and tools to help create sensory theatre as well as have participants explore what it is like to be a kid interacting with these props. We will end the session by talking about how our inclusive theatre can be incorporated into all types of theatre work.

As the climate crisis intensifies, impacting Global Majority and other marginalized communities "first and worst," how might we initiate critical conversations about Environmental (In)justice with the young people we teach and create with and for? How might our tools as theatre artists be uniquely equipped to help us make sense of our current reality, trace the histories and systems of power that brought us to this point, and envision radically just and thriving futures? This 75-minute workshop, based on an arts-integrated lesson originally developed for a 7th Grade Social Studies classroom in Austin, TX grapples with these very questions. You’ll be invited to experience the workshop as well as brainstorm how you might adapt it for the communities and contexts in which you work. Through Theatre of the Oppressed activities, collaborative analysis of maps and other artifacts, and visual arts expression, we’ll explore one potential creative entry point into these conversations about Environmental (In)justice and the climate crisis with the young people in our lives.

Engage in a hands-on workshop exploring how devised theater combined with movement, writing, and visual art can expand storytelling, deepen ensemble-building, and connect communities—both onstage and through creative artifacts like zines and illustrated books.

The connection between teacher and student was severed during the pandemic, and has not been fully restored in the years that followed. This damage is even more profound in the drama classroom, because the work done in Theatre classes requires a relationship between teacher and students that is based on mutual respect and trust. Those relationships need to be rebuilt in order to bring stability and enjoyment back to the classroom. This workshop will examine the importance of relationships in educational settings and explore ways to restore the relationship between teacher and student, as well as between students, in the drama classroom.

Objective: To offer educators and practitioners the opportunity to concentrate on how we craft the first session(s) of working with young people (K-12 and Undergraduates) in the classroom and rehearsal room. This workshop will focus on healthy communication, guidelines, and practice toward through community building on the front end of ensemble practices. Tailored community building has the lasting effect of creating a safe environment where best practices are honored, met, and sustained. Through experiential learning methods, attendees embrace these inclusive concepts and generate workable solution-based ideas through a 75 minute workshop of engagement, play, small group laboratory-style collaborations, and a shared collective closure process. Abstract: Artmaking with others impacts our lives, purpose, and a sense of community. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access remain at the forefront of the spaces we want to maintain, encourage, and expand. Artmaking, ensembleship, and community building are intertwined. What we do with and for the students has the potential to impact their social-emotional growth and perspectives on the human condition through modes of expression, agency, and guided peer interactions.

Dr. Morgan Soja and Dr. Evan Mack present a dynamic session on Dragon’s Breath, an award-winning children’s opera by composer Evan Mack and librettist Joshua McGuire. Winner of the American Prize, this charming and impactful show explores themes of coping with anger and the emotional challenges young people face. The story follows Alan, a young boy who learns to navigate his emotions and discover healthy ways to respond to life’s difficulties. Rooted in Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Dragon’s Breath is designed to not only entertain but also to serve as a catalyst for meaningful discussions about emotions. The presentation will delve into how the opera fosters emotional intelligence through interactive audience engagement. Participants will experience exercises used in the performance, such as acting out emotions and guided meditative breathing, which allow young audiences to explore emotional self-regulation in an accessible and creative way. Additionally, attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at the world premiere of Dragon’s Breath through clips from the production, showcasing the opera’s engaging storytelling, music, and interactive elements in action. Dr. Soja and Dr. Mack will also discuss the power of art as a conversation piece, emphasizing how Dragon’s Breath bridges performance and education to spark important discussions about emotional growth. They will outline plans to bring this production to wider audiences through touring, aiming to reach schools, community centers, and theaters nationwide. This session invites educators, theater practitioners, and advocates for SEL to discover how Dragon’s Breath can inspire creativity, foster emotional awareness, and build connections with young audiences and their families. Join us to explore how this work transforms art into an interactive tool for growth and understanding.

An important part of AATE’s mission and core values is to foster scholarship. In order to do that effectively, the Research & Scholarship Network have committed to create a publishing guide for AATE that will serve members and the wider field of theatre education. In this working session, members of the Research & Scholarship Network and anyone else who is interested will collaborate on generating an initial draft of the publishing guide. Participants will contribute to one of the following groups: [1] Steps to Publish, [2] Database of Journals or other outlets & style guides for each, [3] Database of extant work - categorized with abstracts, or [4] Other contributions yet to be imagined. When the publishing guide is up and running, members will be able to update, expand, and comment or interact with material. All participants will be asked to contribute their CV to a database to be included in the guide.

All the World's a stage, and all the men and women global players! We come from different cultures that can sometimes clash, but misunderstandings open up opportunities to learn from each other and understand our different perspectives. In this praxis-based workshop, you will explore the uses of theatre in the classroom to negotiate cultural differences, build bridges of intercultural understanding and promote cross-cultural communication. Participants will be exposed to a variety of drama exercises (improv., masks, clown and puppetry) aimed at developing cultural awareness, intercultural understanding and cross-cultural communication. Participants will be immersed in the experience of acting and role-playing in the theatre of everyday life: The Global Stage. You will leave the workshop with a solid new way of integrating mistakes and misunderstanding as opportunities to learn and grow, using cultural conflict as a catalyst for transformational understanding, acceptance and belonging. We all want our students to become genuine citizens of the world, so… Let’s Go Global! This session explores cultural differences as a lens to explore each other’s culture and play “cross-culturing” roles to promote intercultural understanding. The theatre provides us with a privileged space to champion diversity, to promote inclusion and to create a sense of belonging. Understanding each other is essential: putting ourselves in someone else’s skin opens up the possibility of deep connection and understanding. It might seem that cultural barriers divide us, but the stage gives us the opportunity to bring them down, experiencing community and belongingness through the recognition of our shared humanity.

What do you associate with a hospital? Perhaps the words institutional, sterile, or isolated come to mind. The Jeanette M Gould Traveling Theater, a partnership between University of Central Florida’s School of Performing Arts and College of Nursing, aims to reimagine a child’s hospital stay, bringing joy and healing through the art form of live theatre. Join us for a participatory workshop exploring how we create bedside performances for pediatric patients ages 2 and up, using purposeful play to inspire imagination and honor the whole child. Participants will learn about the creative process of “Let’s Go Camping!,” our first bedside play, and will engage in the development of our next show, “Sketch Out!”

The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia serves 450 schools annually through its in-school programs: teaching artist residencies, one-time student workshops, and professional learning events for teachers. These research-based programs have improved students’ literacy skills, transformed educators’ teaching practices, and established the Alliance Theatre as a leader in arts integrated and theater-based instruction. Despite its successes, the Alliance Theatre’s in-school programs face two major challenges: 1) a lack of funding for arts education programs and 2) teaching artist retention. In this session, learn how the Alliance Theatre has navigated these challenges while honoring established best practices and adapting to a changing landscape. Georgia ranks 50th in the nation in state arts funding, leaving schools and professional theaters with limited resources to support arts-based programming. In this session, the Alliance Theatre will share how it has diversified its funding streams through government support, corporate revenue, earned revenue, additional grants, and more, allowing our programs to evolve and meet schools’ needs. As the Alliance Theatre expands its reach, the need for qualified teaching artists grows. Learn about the Alliance’s teaching artist retention efforts, including pay increases, complimentary childcare, ongoing training, and health benefits. Participants will leave with strategies and ideas to replicate at their own professional theaters.

This session involves the synergistic collision between our field’s history and the full potential of what we can become as a multigenerational panel examines an untold story from our past and considers its compelling applications for our future. Community activist and historical scholar Joan Lancourt (Ph.D.) has done extensive primary-source research on the remarkable Junior Programs, Inc. (1936-1943), one of the most successful pioneering performing arts companies devoted exclusively to touring professional theatre for young audiences. Her research has uncovered dynamic responses to a world not so different from our own in which rising fascism, a climate of fearing the “other,” and the shadow of armed conflict threatened the very foundations of democracy. Junior Programs harnessed the power of the arts in defense of Democratic ideals, recognizing that their work was infinitely more than entertainment. The intentional presentation of restorative narratives, their partnerships with K-12 schools and teachers, their ability to harness an army of local volunteers as their productions of theatre, opera, and ballet crisscrossed the country –– these are but a few of the multifaceted strategies employed by the company that introduced four million children to quality arts experiences that celebrated America’s rich diversity. Following a presentation, our diverse group of multi-generational respondents will share implications for the future. While some elements of Junior Programs may seem dated after almost a century, we will engage in a dynamic conversation about the underlying principles and practices that contributed to their success, and discuss how they may be used to inform our current and future struggles as we prepare children for full participation in a vibrant democracy.

No Script? No Problem! Discover the magic of devised theatre in this fast-paced, interactive workshop designed to spark collaboration and creativity. Participants will learn and apply our Six Principles of Collaboration, practicing skills like sharing power and rotating leadership to develop original scripts from unexpected source material. Whether you're new to devised theatre or an experienced creator, this session offers a fresh approach to collective storytelling. We’re all here to learn—what can you contribute? This workshop kicks off by exploring devised theatre in its various forms and unique processes. Participants will engage with scenarios to identify and explore the Six Principles of Collaboration, gaining a deeper understanding of effective teamwork in a devised theatre setting. Participants will engage with scenarios to identify and explore the Six Principles of Collaboration, gaining a deeper understanding of effective teamwork. In the second half, the focus shifts to hands-on application. Working in groups, participants will use their newfound skills to stage an original story from an unconventional source, overcoming challenges such as collaborating with new people, managing time constraints, working with limited resources, and staying true to the story author’s intent. The session concludes with a live performance of their collaboratively created stories, celebrating the shared creativity and commitment of the group. Join us for an unforgettable experience where teamwork and storytelling take center stage!

As theatre educators preparing the next generation of theatre teachers, we often find ourselves learning right alongside our students. The field of theatre education has evolved dramatically over the past 15, 20, 25+ years—embracing new pedagogical approaches, technologies, and a more inclusive and responsive curriculum. What happens when we encounter ideas, practices, and methodologies that weren’t part of our own training? How do we continue to grow as educators while guiding our students through an ever-changing landscape? This panel will explore the ongoing professional development necessary for theatre educators, addressing challenges and opportunities in adapting to new best practices, diversifying curricula, and integrating contemporary techniques. Join us for a candid discussion on what it means to be both teacher and learner in today’s theatre education landscape, and how embracing this dual role can strengthen our teaching and our students’ experiences. We will offer our experiences, but we also hope to learn from you! What have you learned alongside your students? Where are your gaps in knowledge which you hope to fill? Let’s grow together.

Share and embody meanings related to your own teaching artistry, theatre for youth, applied theatre, or partner organization collaborator praxis connected to the conference’s thematic inquiries. Explore the “individual” and “collaborative” narratives of tradition, change, and progress from two emerging partners (Indiana University-Indianapolis, represented by Assistant Professor Emilio G Robles and REACT Theatre, represented by Executive Director Justin Wade) who come from divergent contexts and perspectives, yet are united by shared goals. Learn about the serendipitous juncture where both individuals and “partner entities” find themselves related to these key ideas amplified in their stories and yours. Make connections to your own dualities as artist-educators, artist-administrators, or artist-activists and your own unique contexts. Reflect on takeaways, share curiosities, and feedback to foster the creation of informed networks of supportive and reflective praxis around presentation content, led by shared interests in partner collaboration, the development of teaching artists, and youth-centered devised work.

This presentation will provide detailed techniques for modifying and differentiating the rehearsal process for students with Sensory Processing Disorders as well as Autism Spectrum Disorder in a full inclusion-based secondary school production program. The session will begin with a PowerPoint that provides an overview of Sensory Processing Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as both strengths and challenges encountered in the rehearsal process. This will be followed by an examination of specific techniques used to differentiate the rehearsal process for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including Meisner-based repetition exercises and improvisation activities, as well as specifically creating a space and process that accommodates the needs of all students. Participants will break into groups and take part in a demonstration of these exercises and then reflect on their use and effectiveness in the rehearsal process.

Whether we are trying to figure out what to have for dinner or our strategic vision for the next 5-years, decision making can be a major source of conflict and discomfort. We all hold internalized values on how decisions should be made, but rarely do we take the time to clarify who will be part of making decisions, what their role will be, how they will make the decisions, and why any of that is the case. When we don't take the time to articulate our process, oppressive cultural norms make their way in, and resentments often build over time. Things work until they don't. But it doesn't have to be this way. In this participatory workshop, participants will gain tools and frameworks to help break down the elements of decision making for more strategic, more equitable, and more transparent processes where everyone's needs can be met. Skills learned will be applicable to educational, administrative, and artistic workspaces, and with both adults and young people. We will discuss what is gained and what is lost when making decisions horizontally and hierarchically, and how even hierarchical decision-making processes can include elements of democratic process.

Communities of practice in drama education have been explored by Anderson & Freebody as sites that emphasize “the importance of integrating theory and practice to support the development of beginning teachers” (2012, p. 359). Professional organizations like the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE), the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable, and the Educational Theatre Association (EDTA) consider their annual gatherings as a locus of professional development and networking, but in their relative infrequency, they provide only limited access to the potentiality of a true community of practice. So, drama educators often find themselves a department of one, set adrift to do whatever it is they do in the classroom without the benefit of a community of peers who can understand and support them in their work. They lack a true community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002; Wenger-Trayner, Fenton-O'Creevy, Hutchinson, Kubiak, & Wenger-Trayner, 2014; Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2015; Wenger, 2020; and Tummons, 2022). [paragraph break] Through this workshop experience, drama educators will develop a community of practice through the implementation of a case narrative project, based on a format outlined by Norris, McCammon, & Miller in their text, Learning to Teach Drama: A Case Narrative Approach (2000). The main intent of the case narrative is to serve as a tool to assist the educator in better understanding their teaching practice and should be drawn from their own experience, offering the educator an opportunity to reflect on and examine a problem, dilemma, or crisis, or frame a new perspective that has occurred in their practice. [paragraph break] This workshop will move us through phases one and two of a three-phase process. In the session, participants will outline their own case narrative, share the outline with two peers, and then get formal feedback from each peer using a response protocol outlined in Norris, McCammon, & Miller’s text in which they describe, analyze, and apply (2000, pp. 111-112). [paragraph break]1 - Describe: Read the assigned case narrative. Set a timer for five minutes and write a continuous response without censoring yourself to what you have read.2 -Analyze: Review what you wrote. Respond by uncovering the issues in the original narrative and make connections to educational theory and the teaching of drama.3 -Apply: Review both the initial writing (describe) and your initial analysis. Write concretely what the teacher might do to extend these ideas into practice. This writing could be in the form of a lesson plan, a list of teacher activities, or a general set of statements on the teacher’s stance. Application is the goal, so you need to provide the teacher with actionable recommendations grounded in your teaching experience and what you know from research or literature. [paragraph break] In this way, each participant will receive actionable recommendations (interventions) from two peers. This initial workshop will be followed in two month’s time with a Zoom check-in where each participant can report back about the intervention(s) they implemented and consider next steps.

In a time of increasing educational censorship and heightened socio-political tension, educators face significant barriers to addressing critical topics such as identity, power, and privilege in their classrooms and on their stages. This tension highlights the duality of progress and tradition—how do we honor the foundational principles of democratic education while challenging restrictive practices that limit its potential? With a focus on personal and professional growth, this playful, interactive session fosters inclusive dialogue and critical reflection on educational censorship and book banning within our school and larger communities. In it, we will discuss the value of developing an improvisational ethos in contributing to democratic education, and will engage in a series of Role Work and Process Drama activities to consider diverse voices and perspectives on educational censorship. Each activity serves the dual purpose of offering teachers adaptable methods for classroom application while also inviting them to reflect on their own beliefs, biases, and approaches to addressing challenging topics. Through these exercises, participants will explore the complex interplay between partisan politics, community stakeholders, and local educational institutions, gaining a deeper understanding of the nuance and varied perspectives that shape educational policy decisions and classroom practices. By inviting participants to step into new roles and viewpoints, the session encourages curiosity, reflection, and dialogue, ultimately equipping teachers with strategies to engage meaningfully with their students and communities, with the goal of fostering a more just and dynamic educational environment.

In anticipation of the 2026 Semiquincentennial, this session features a student-led reading and sing-through of Scenes from the Revolution, a musical by Aline Shader originally created for the Bicentennial. Geared toward middle school performers, the show explores key events of the American Revolution through ten scenes and songs, aligning with educational standards in arts and history. Participants will learn how this versatile, curriculum-based piece can be used to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and spark deeper conversations about both historical and current struggles for freedom. A sing-along finale invites everyone to raise their voices in celebration.

Using a unique case study of the national expansion of Stories that Soar! through its recent collaboration with Coastal Carolina University (CCU) as a reference, this panel will discuss and consider ways for university theatre programs to partner with community-centered arts organizations to transform their service area and make a regional impact in building artistic and educational infrastructure in sequential tiers of academia simultaneously. In all, this panel will discuss how a community-focused university theatre program can effectively and positively serve as a connector and agent to ensure that elementary schools, high schools, universities, and professional theatre companies can come together in collaboration to amplify the impact of the arts in their region. Focus will be placed on best practices and effective methods of connecting with local elementary schools to inspire creativity, promote active literacy, and build engaged artistic communities through the creation of devised theatre performances based on original stories written by students at the school – a process perfected by Literacy Connects of Southern Arizona and their Stories that Soar! program. Additional discussions will center on attracting local high schools to participate in the same transformative process with their feeder elementary schools in subsequent academic years to continue to inspire the writing of new stories, the crafting of new performances, and the promotion of literacy through arts-based curricula. Panelists are teaching artists in the theatre discipline who seek to use applied and devised theatre methods to ensure that collaborative creation can inspire the growth of the arts and storytelling in local educational communities. We hope this is more than a case study and panel discussion; we see it as a movement towards a more equitable and creative future as a community through the empowerment of young writers and the celebration of their stories and imaginations.

Explore the value of learning from the past to create a better future. The Skirball Cultural Center is a nonprofit Jewish cultural institution and museum in Los Angeles, CA that uses storytelling as a vehicle to bring people together. Participants will explore the topics of immigration, identity, and values through hands-on activities and build critical thinking, empathy, and collaboration skills by examining real stories of people who immigrated to the United States and connecting them to the present. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own stories and core values and how we, too, can leave a legacy in our communities.

In TYA/USA’s 2020 report from participating theatres, “Exploring the Landscape of Live Theatre for Young Audiences in the U.S.” it was found that 19% of total productions in the 2018/2019 season were culturally specific “in which POC characters/communities/cultures were essential to the story’s narrative.” While this percentage is exciting given the history of the predominance of white, Euro-centric stories on TYA stages in the U.S., it also begs the question, who is producing said culturally specific productions? When making work that is culturally specific, the production can become an affinity space for those inside the culture. But when the producing entity is a predominantly white institution (PWI), what happens to the specificities and care of the affinity space of that production? Whose play does it become? What conversations of translation must be had? Using the experience of directing the Latinx-specific play “Luna” at ZACH Theatre in Austin, TX, TYA practitioner Mateo Hernandez invites participants into a dialogue on what the work of culturally specific theatre-making looks like in PWIs and how we might push for change towards more sustaining practices.