"They Noticed Everything": Integrating Student Experience of Theatrical Performance into Coursework

Abstract:Integrating students' experiences of a theatrical performance into coursework often presents a pedagogical challenge, especially if the performance serves only as an occasion for critique or as an illustration of course themes. This essay describes some classroom strategies that help students pay attention to the distinctive elements of the experience of attending a theatrical performance while at the same time preparing them to connect these experiences to the themes and issues of the course. The process begins with an assignment that asks students to identify just one thing they noticed during the performance, then to describe how that element contributed to their comprehension of the moment-to-moment storytelling. With an understanding of the performance firmly grounded in observation, students are better prepared to explore connections between their experiences at the theatre and their investigations in the classroom. The essay describes these assignments in action in an intermediate-level lecture/discussion course on dramatic literature where students attended a production of Angels in America. Approaches described herein have successfully worked in courses on different subjects, themes, formats, and curricular levels, and with both theatre majors and students from many disciplines.