Notes that in rehearsals and performances, a jumble of silences are encountered. Discusses silence in the following situations: as frustration; as imposition; as invisibility; as power; as pleasure; as safety; as humility; as necessity; and as potential. Contends that when dramaturgs enter into conversation and break silence, they must carefully…

Outlines a dramaturg's process when working on three different plays. Contends that the myriad variations on the question "what will happen next?" serve as the basic architecture on which the dynamic relationship between the story/storytellers and the audience is built. Observes that the continual planning and answering of questions is…

Discusses the experiences of a professional and academic dramaturg as she learns how to respond to non-realist plays. Proposes that non-realism is not simply the absence of realism but is a form in itself. Presents a vocabulary for non-realist texts. Notes that to create this vocabulary the features of its style should be defined. Discusses the…

Describes a method for teaching and rehearsing collaboration, which involves the application of improvisation skills to conversation. Concludes that the goal of this method is to motivate students to recognize and suspend commonplace assumptions that privilege intuition and impulse. (PM)

Describes St. Christopher House Health Action Theatre by Seniors in Toronto, which uses interactive theater to address such issues as elder abuse, mental health, substance abuse, and other health care issues. Includes information about the lack of appropriate culturally sensitive healthcare and home care support services. (JOW)

The authors present interactive drama as a medium to create learning about multicultural and diversity issues in the basis of cognitive-experiential self-theory. Results of exploratory qualitative research suggest 2 interactive dramas had an impact on awareness, understanding, and skills. Future research and benefits for counseling students and…

Notes that in the past decade, interactive media technologies have been producing an artistic and cultural revolution of great proportions. Examines the interaction between performers and the media and the ways theatrical productions can define this interaction. Provides examples of productions from the University of Georgia's Interactive…

Explains the "Standing Tall" project, which was a multi-faceted project focused on embracing the future through creative drama, movement, storytelling, and improvisation activities. Notes that students' original stories of their experiences on September 11 were developed into a one-act play. Describes how students worked under the…

Argues for the realignment of Shakespeare with the popular forms which influence the social world of young children. Explores what teachers and performers need to learn and unlearn when telling Shakespeare's stories in the company of children. Considers the grounds of creativity for teachers when abandoning prescription in teaching Shakespeare.…

Recommends eight plays from the 1980s which will challenge the thinking of students with issues such as evolving independence of young people, growing up in the context of racism and discrimination, insights into the world of the deaf, and the suffering of humanity during the French Revolution. (MG)

Based on the idea that learning a language is much like learning a role, not limited to simple memorization of a grammar or a script, a summer program in theater in Nancy (France) offers second-language students an opportunity to select a text and mount a theatrical production in French. (MSE)

Summarizes documents from the ERIC database that provide suggestions for integrating disabled students into elementary and secondary school drama activities, as well as information about programs and activities that encourage understanding and appreciation of school children with physical and mental disabilities. (MS)

Describes an approach for teaching "The Diary of Anne Frank" to secondary school students, focusing on historical and emotional preparation, and writing prompts for the play. (MM)

Discusses the plays of Wendy Kesselman. Analyzes the plays in light of the special demands they make upon young audiences. (MS)

Describes how Athol Fugard's 1982 play "'Master Harold'...and the Boys" dramatizes the racial situation in South Africa by taking the concept of racism away from universal abstractions and making its causes and effects individual and concrete. Asserts that this play should be adopted in the high school curriculum. (MM)