A Brave Space for Community: Bolstering K-12 Theatre Education for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Abstract

Changes in and enhanced access to K-12 theatre education can create greater long-term diversity, equity, and inclusion in American theatre. Recent data on theatre participation demonstrates audience participants to be primarily white, older, and highly educated. This group of participants is aging and decreasing their attendance. This paper explores how twentieth-century suburban growth, racial discrimination, and widening income inequality led to a system of Opportunity Hoarding. This opportunity for early arts-access, created predominantly for white Americans, aided their lifelong participation.

As America shifts to a majority-minority in 2045, classrooms will begin to become more racially and ethnically diverse beginning around 2020. The second part of this paper examines how practices of the twentieth century created a diversity gap in the classroom, failing to reflect today’s students and communities. This gap hinders students from fully embracing lifelong participation in theatre. The findings of this paper demonstrate how professional theatres and community arts and cultural organizations, through a social justice lens for community engagement, can aid schools in eliminating bias within K-12 theatre education to build future participants. To combat widening income inequality, these arts and cultural leaders can work with students and communities to meet their needs in gaining access to live theatre.

Finally, with public schools focused on standardized tests and the charge to fill science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers by 2020, access to K-12 theatre education must be redefined to restore its place among core areas of study. The creation of a brave space for community building in schools for K-12 theatre education can aid in increasing test scores, developing social-emotional skills, re-engage civil discourse, and move STEM to STEAM. These changes can result in enhanced access to K-12 theatre education. This early exposure to theatre will build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive American theatre.