Volume XXXIV, No. 14 | April 27, 2012

Teaching Theatre in a Theatre-less World

Students at Calhoun Community College (CCC) are mostly working-class young adults, members of the military, and non-traditional students. Each student must choose an arts elective from Theatre Appreciation, Arts Appreciation, and Music Appreciation. I teach Theatre Appreciation.

Upon my arrival at CCC, I was given a sample syllabus and a possible text. It did not take me long to decide not to use the book. Theatre is supposed to be seen and heard, not read. With 90% of our students having never been exposed to live theatre, I decided to combine my own teaching tactics with the syllabus.

As the students entered on the first day of class, I had the television show, Glee, playing on the large screen at the front of the classroom. I thought having a popular television show would help break the ice, and it piqued the interest of several students. I continued to open each class with snippets of various shows, which I followed with more formal lectures on the different types of theatre structures, the artists involved in producing theatrical works, and basic theatre history and theory. It was not until after I showed a video of an authentic classic retelling of Oedipus Rex that I realized the students were more interested in the material I was showing prior to class than what was actually happening in class.

In response, I scrapped the standard syllabus. I began asking students questions designed to engage their critical thinking skills: What is your favorite television show, and why do you like it? What do you think of when someone says theatre or Broadway? I showed episodes of television shows like Mad Men, Saturday Night Live, and popular movies to illustrate the validity and importance of Aristotle’s elements. So, instead of trying to teach a foreign subject—asking students to accept the theatre world—I began connecting theatre to my students’ worlds, which allowed them to begin moving beyond their daily lives and start connecting to the world of theatre.

At the end of my first semester, I gave a take-home final that required the students watch their favorite piece of pop culture and apply all six of Aristotle’s elements to their work. The last question on the exam asked how, or if, their opinion of theatre had changed. One student wrote: “Theatre is what you make of it. Our opinions and views help us decide what theatre really is…The main thing I learned is that theatre is NOT boring. Theatre is all around us.”

Now in my fourth semester, this class has become a popular fixture on campus. The most rewarding aspect, though, is seeing students from past semesters attending college productions, going to each class-planned show, and even travelling to see theatre. With this abstract, outside-of-the-box way of teaching, I have created an entirely new batch of theatre-goers. Theatre is no longer exclusive for a few. It is for everyone.

Richard Wallace, Instructor, Theatre

For further information, contact the author at Calhoun Community College, 6250 Highway 31 North, Tanner, AL 35671. Email Author.