GEORGE BELLIVEAU
The collection of essays, interviews, addresses, reflections, plays, and poetry in How Theatre Educates: Convergences & Counterpoints illustrates multiple ways theatre has the potential to educate. Edited by Kathleen Gallagher and David Booth, the book presents contributions from practitioners, academics, and critics of the theatre; their diverse interpretations on the connections between theatre and education help create an important resource for educators, artists, and students. The book is organized into six sub-groups or larger chapters, each containing three to five pieces: I. Introduction; II. Theatre, the Arts, Pedagogy, and Performance; III. Critical Voices; IV.Culture, Community and Theatre Practices; V. Theatre for and with Young Audiences; VI. Creative Processes, Audience, and Form. The individual pieces or chapters can be read in isolation; nonetheless, when read as a whole, one senses the richness, diversity, and unlimited possibilities theatre has to stimulate and ultimately educate.
Gallagher and Booth set the tone of the book in the Introduction with their thorough analysis of the connections between theatre and education. Then, by weaving personal stories, the editors prepare the reader for the various contributors of the book. The choice to begin the collection with Judith Thompson, who reflects on the links between her teaching and playwriting, and then end with an informative and engaging dialogue between Gallagher and Ann-Marie MacDonald on writing, exemplifies the quality of the selected authors and the fine ideas discussed. The eclectic selections take the reader to a kindergarten class in Ontario where Cornelia Hoogland describes how drama has the potential to help young children reconnect with nature. Walter Pitman shares how a group of North Toronto parishioners gather at church after evenings at the theatre to discuss and learn from what they collectively experienced. Working with Holocaust themes, Belarie Zatzman takes us inside a York University classroom and offers practical ways to inspire students to articulate their understanding of the Holocaust, self, and the world we live in. In an address, John Murrell urges educators and artists to recognize the value in restlessness, dissatisfaction, stubbornness, and secretiveness. Using Socrates, Michelangelo, Emily Dickinson, and Emily Carr as examples of artists who shared some of these characteristics, he discusses the challenging, yet worthwhile, journey towards beauty and truth. In separate pieces Guillermo Verdecchia and Janice Hladki investigate racial and multicultural issues and how they pertain to creating theatre that acknowledges and celebrates diversity without sacrificing the art. In an interview with Jim Giles, Sky Gilbert talks about his work at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and his perspective on the struggle, place, and future of Gay Theatre.
Through different approaches, John Gilbert and Domenico Pietropaolo look at aspects of theatre’s history and suggest positive and negative directions they foresee the art moving towards. The reflections on Youth Theatre in the separate contributions by Larry Swartz and Maja Adal point out the value, strength, and vulnerability of theatre companies that focus their work for adolescents and children. Tomson Highway’s poem from his musical for children Mary Jane Mosquito adds a nice touch of humour through his reworking of a familiar song. The international perspective offered by Lori MacDougall through her research on folk theatre in India provides a wider lens on theatre’s power to educate. Linda Griffiths’ passion for creating meaningful theatre, largely through her improvisational approach, sheds light on different ways playwrights develop their work. Director Richard Rose and actor/writer Diane Flacks provide thoughtful reflections on their approach to theatre by sharing personal accounts that have shaped their careers. In her testimony about being a theatre addict, Lynn Slotkin brings forth an audience perspective by sharing how theatre has enriched her life. Jason Sherman’s brief play focuses on a powerless drama critic and provides a glimpse at hidden agendas of major newspapers vis à vis mega-musicals (the big shows pay for lucrative ads).
The one or two line descriptions above do not do justice to the messages and meanings that are conveyed within the twenty contributions; however, they illustrate the wide spectrum of subjects that are shared in the collection. The concept that theatre has multiple ways of educating is supported in the book through the different approaches used by the contributors (essays, addresses, plays, etc.) to articulate the connections between theatre and education. Although the selected contributions each shed light and provide insight on theatre’s ability to educate, no doubt some pieces will resonate more with particular readers. One of my only criticisms in the selection of entries is that the book appears a little Ontario-centric. A few pieces representing Quebec and some of the fine theatre work done in French, and more entries from the Atlantic, the Prairies, and British Columbia would broaden our awareness of how theatre educates across the country.
In order to increase understanding and enhance appreciation for theatre education, Gallagher and Booth set out to collect contributions from artists, academics, and critics to discuss multiple perspectives on how theatre and education are interconnected: they succeed. This book provides meaningful insights into theatre education and it has wide audience appeal. How Theatre Educates: Convergences & Counterpoints should be on the shelf (or better yet in the hands) of all drama educators, parishioners, and students.