Discusses transferable skills which the person with a theater degree may have, and their use on the road to employability. Discusses three or four management-administrative areas in which students with a theater degree can validly pursue a career option. (SR)

Studies the status of theater in U.S. high schools. Finds that (1) 90 percent of high schools offer theater; (2) principals recognize its value to theater students, but not its value to other students and the community; (3) most theater teachers have advanced degrees yet feel inadequately trained; and (4) most theater students are white and…

Discusses a yearlong study of a classroom's experience with Readers Theatre. Analyzes the "remedial" children's interpretive behaviors--language uses, body movements, comparative approaches, and affective interpretations--as they enacted literary texts in the theater of their own creation. Suggests that one solution to the problems of labeled…

Presents guidelines for general and theater specialist K-12 teacher certification developed by the American Alliance for Theatre Education and the Speech Communication Association. Advocates that all teachers have preparation in arts and communication and that theater and communication specialists continue to be trained. (SR)

Describes a high school theater arts program in California which involves elementary and middle school students in the high school's annual musical. Discusses how to deal with the extra work of including younger children in the musical production and the numerous advantages of doing so. (SR)

Puppetry, with its universal appeal, can integrate many aspects of language teaching thanks to its flexibility in presenting concepts, stories, culture, vocabulary, etc. Discussion of the advantages touches on suggested lessons and strategies, making up dialogs, puppets as guest speakers, storytelling, and interviews. (Contains 18 references.)…

Theater participation aids students in several areas, including self-expression, self-development, self-understanding, self-esteem, self-discipline, analytical skills, empathy, human understanding, and competition. Balance between academics and the arts is essential if students are to be prepared to live well-rounded, meaningful lives in the…

Reviews the ethical concept of individual freedom as it might be applied to theater education. Argues that ethical decisions should be examined with an understanding of the basic principles of ethics. Suggests that understanding ethical concepts can help theater educators follow the arguments and justify the professional decisions they make. (RS)

Discusses, in poetic form, the writing of the play "Salvador" from the perspective of the author. Explains her thoughts about writing for children, including didactic relationships with children, didactic functions of art, and how adults teachers try to create a sterilized, lifeless, good-thinking, and artificial world for children when they are…

Describes the childhood experience of seeing the play "The Rainmaker," and its lifelong effect on the author, and other personal experience stories. Suggests that theater teachers should share stories of their positive teaching experiences with their fellow teachers. Promotes personal storytelling as a part of drama-teacher preparation. (CR)

Discusses the arduous task of casting and directing untrained middle and secondary school actors in terms of auditioning, getting started, planning for the first meeting, focusing on the obvious, rehearsing, learning the lines, becoming the character, running work-through rehearsals, and doing run-throughs and performances. Notes not to forget to…

Examines the invisible incorporation of constructions from the Victorian and Progressive eras regarding children, women, and theatre art, into the field of child drama. Discusses child drama as a moral calling; women and the gendered status of child drama; child drama as an amateur field; child drama as education in democracy; and the construction…

Applies feminist dramatic criticism to the texts of 18 plays produced in the 1994-1995 season by three preeminent Theatre for Young Audiences companies. Finds a high proportion of characters who do not display typical gender-role stereotyping, but finds that most female characters are objects of adult exchange who rarely have power. Discusses four…

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal describing a high school play director's use of "democratic" directing methods. Explores questions about methodology and study design and the role of the researcher in examining her own practice. Argues that the study makes a strong contribution to the field, especially for those involved in…

Argues that the physical and emotional experience of performing on stage is an opportunity for young female performers to gain knowledge about their gender identities. Maintains that physical learning of gendered "acts" may be part of the crisis many young women encounter in adolescence and that such "acts" can take place on…