AATE 2025 National Conference

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.