"This text is an important addition to the literature of drama with young people because it is so thoughtfully
written, so much in harmony with contemporary thought and practice in education."
--Johnny Saldaña
Heinemann Publishing Web Site, January, 2002
Summary
Now more than ever, there is a need to understand and respect diversity in our classrooms�especially in our
drama and theatre work where it is so easy for students and teachers to act out unconscious biases. We need to
reassess our own ways of viewing the world and become more acutely attuned to the complex identities of our young
participants and patrons. Drama and Diversity is one of the first books to address this issue.
Drama and Diversity offers a pluralistic perspective for the field of educational drama and theatre practice, demonstrating
how we can respectfully work across and between differences such as race, social class, gender, sexual orientation,
and ability. Filled with moments of drama practice to illustrate the ABCs of several areas of difference, each
chapter:
Analyzes an area of diversity
Builds an awareness about the issues with students through lesson plans
helps Create an ongoing environment for inclusion and respect with several practical teaching and planning ideas.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Geographies of Difference
2. Racial and Ethnic Orientations: The Problem of Privilege
3. Class-Oriented Locations: The "Intense Silence"
4. Gender Reorientations: Constructing "Girls" and "Boys"
5. Sexual Orientations: Same-Sex Feelings and Families
6. Disorienting Abilities: What Is "Normal"?
