Looks at the responsibilities of a director of young performers as an artist/educator. Maintains that production work with young people should be an extension of a theater curriculum, develop young people as artists and human beings, and be guided by individuals who understand how to teach theater as well as direct plays. (SR)

Compares the goals and methods of drama in education as they are made manifest around the world. Notes the greater interest on the part of European educators in controversial social and political content. (SR)

Outlines an acting class evaluation system which appraises the individual growth of each student and invites the student into the evaluation process. Discusses grading criteria, self-evaluations, peer evaluations, journals, and tallying grades. (SR)

Reports results from a survey of selected theater education experts regarding their views on what are the most valuable aspects of theater education for students. Discusses their views on the most important learning outcomes of theater education and specific priorities of theater education research. (SR)

Examines three contemporary plays for young audiences that feature adolescent female protagonists to examine the treatment of adolescent girls'"coming of age" issues regarding sexuality, body, and identity. Finds that all three protagonists grapple with self-consciousness and cultural norms regarding beauty and explore their struggles…

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal which examines factors influencing longevity in the career of a particular high school theatre arts teacher. Notes responses of some jurors regarding methodological concerns and theoretical grounding, but appreciates the writer's personal affinity with her subject and welcomes the…

Discusses issues of qualitative research stimulated by Eileen Waldschmidt's work on bilingual teachers and creative drama including issues of the researcher's stance, primacy of voice, and thickness of data. (SR)

Responds to jurors' comments and questions regarding the author's study on bilingual teachers and creative drama. Argues that she did write four teacher stories, but questions whether they hold up to criteria often used to evaluate stories. Asks just whose story is being told in qualitative research. (SR)

Focuses on the historical discourse (a complex interaction of social, cultural, ideological, and esthetic forces) that constructed theatre for young audiences in the United States. Examines the real and potential impact of post modern and positivist theories in reexamining these traditional narratives, shedding light on how and why the field…

Examines the social construction of "childhood" and of "children" within two important theoretical texts published in the 1950s: Isabel Burger's "Creative Play Acting: Learning through Drama" and Charlotte Chorpenning's "Twenty-One Years with Children's Theatre." Finds several interrelated constructs,…

Discusses the 1996 edition of Montreal's Coups de Theatre. Questions whether festival productions should be juried, what criteria should be used, and how to compare new creations against established productions. Describes various festival productions, a total of 19 productions from 6 countries. Discusses what these plays say to young people. (CR)

Takes a look at what creativity is and where it goes as people age. Describes six exercises the author has used to spark creativity in middle school and high school students, both in the classroom and on stage. (SR)

Examines the representation of gender and ethnicity in two female protagonists, Maria in "Simply Maria" and Alicia in "Alicia in Wonder Tierra." Demonstrates the cultural politics that direct how the protagonists negotiate gender identity within Mexican-American cultures. (SG)

Describes the author's development of a theatre curriculum intended to reach thousands of children in the United States and around the world. Discusses how this curriculum development opportunity required that she break some of her own rules. Describes the long list of criteria the grantor required for what they fund and how she worked to fulfill…

Covers all the steps needed to light an open, non-traditional performance space--everything from where to locate lights, support towers, and power sources, to cable and dimmer requirements. Covers safety issues, equipment costs, what students should and should not be allowed to do, and how to deal with electricians and rental companies. (SC)