Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Literature Review jbr1
Literature Review jbr1
Abstract
This literature addresses 3 different questions which are answered through the
information provided by various sources. These sources are not limited to an interview done
with professor Barba from the University of Texas at El Paso, scholarly journals, websites,
videos, and various books in relation to theatre and how it has impacted various individuals and
why it is relevant to education. Concluding with the final answer in regards to all three questions
set out through the paper.
In what ways have the theatre arts contributed to the twenty-first century as we
see now?
Why should theatre remain an elective for high school and college students in our
educational system?
How has theatre influenced in the educational development of some scholars that
have attended the University of Texas at El Paso?
Through answering these three questions, the goal of this literature review will be met, as
it will delivering the fundamental information that will be used to answer this inquiry.
In what ways have the theatre arts contributed to the twenty-first century as we see
now?
The theatre arts have contributed to the twenty first-century by being the foundation to
the film industry we see now. It is seen that has theatre has progressed into an even larger
industry, known as the film industry. Theatre has taken advantage of the continuous
technological discoveries coming forward. With the emersion of the television, the film industry
came along, being founded by filmed performances, exactly like the ones coming from theatre
drama. The influence theatre has on film industry in unmeasurable because, almost every detail
of film can be traced back to it. Therefore through it influences different aspects, to points where
it affects individuals directly through politics. Lawyers are said to be like performers, acting to
get their way through performances. (Barba, 2014) This showing that theatre has influenced the
education of lawyers in the twenty-first century.
Performance Studies Richard Schechner in a speech delivered to the Association of
Theatre in Higher Education made the following statement, Theatre as we have known and
practiced will be the string quartet of the 21st century. (The Top Ten Reasons Why Theatre Is
Important In The Twenty First Century, 2014) As we see it in our present day and age theatre
attendance has dwindled more for economic reasons than preference. In the other hand articles
and books published in the twenty-first century up to the present day emphasize more and more
the importance of theatres influence in the educational system.
Theatre has also provided a way for social change and acceptance. Issues which were
commonly frowned upon in previous centuries have become something not very uncommon. To
the point where theatre constantly presents these issues as something which is ordinary, an
example would be gay marriage. In the book Staging Social Justice, Ann Elizabeth Armstrong
writes about directing a play in which certain actors in the performance would come forward to
their parents (also actors), letting them know about their homosexual views and preference.
(Staging Social Justice, pg. 123) Here we see how something that thirty years ago would have
been something intolerable, theatre has developed ways to bring out issues like this and be more
accepting in the twenty-first century. Not only has theatre contributed to the daily entertainment
of millions, but it has brought social acceptance to the table of the twenty-first century.
Why should theatre remain an elective for high school and college students in our
educational system?
Theatre should remain an elective in the educational system because theatre lends itself to
the development of appropriate expressions of language. Ideas need to be transmitted through
proper vocabulary and oral expression. Great imagination needs to be used in order to transmit
ideas. The mind is being forced to find the correct language order to convey the messages meant
by the creators of a theatrical piece of art. Authors want to transmit meaning. Words without the
correct meaning are useless. Body gestures transmit meaning also, but effective language skills
clarify any doubts about the message audiences may grasp. Much more, there must be a
In order to create theatre, scholars need to be aware of the social, historical and cultural
conditions society is going through. They need to have a deep knowledge of the different
philosophical trends being accepted by society during a time in history. Bennet made people
aware of this as he mentions the economic and political conditions of France during the post war.
He mentions how the political scene in the world was changing in a form of despair and
uncertainty. This inspired absurdsts to create Waiting for Godot. (Bennet, 81-83)
Theatre teachers are scholars in the true sense of the word because they are well-trained
on the subject and have on the different academic areas of learning. Some of them have
expressed how they learned to love theatre since their childhood. Theatres have made them
passionate people in doing their job well.
They are also passionate in engaging in large tasks which have helped them to be more
creative and advocates of the arts. Theater scholars at The University of Texas at El Paso wish
theatre programs at the
university may increase
numbers. (Professor Barba,
2014)
Gregory L. Taylor was
a theatre arts undergraduate
student in 1983, who is a fantastic example of how theatre has contributed to the scholars of The
University of Texas at El Paso. Mr. Gregory Taylor was what could be said as the founder of the
Dinner Theatre as seen in the image above. Not only did he contribute to this phenomenal
10
11
Conclusion
In conclusion, this literary review has attempted to answer the three main questions
related to theatre as an essential part of education. First of all theatre is still relevant in the
twenty-first century. Theatre is not dead. It has existed from the beginning of mankind and is an
essential component of human expression throughout the ages. Theatre permeates all the areas of
human knowledge. It is still alive. In the educational area it was presented the great necessity of
theatre not only to be used at the elementary level, but also to remain as an elective for high
school and college student levels. It provides a guide for individuals who are interested to have a
career in all the aspects of it. These sides may be in the educational side of it, the visual artistic
side, or even the literary side of it. Theatre offers great opportunities to develop language skills
and the use of higher knowledge skills. Teachers play a very important part in transmitting
theatre skills to their students so they may use it as an asset to learning. Theatre helps students
understand people from other cultures. Theatre makes it available for the audience to become
familiar with cultures they may have not been exposed to previously, allowing to see
reenactments of how or what goes on in their civilization. Finally theatrical experiences have
contributed to the educational development of scholars at UTEP. Professor Barba a scholar who
attended school at the University of Texas at El Paso is one example of an individual who has
drastically impacted by theatre in his life. Theatre positively influenced him to find a career in it,
after viewing through the years what theatre could provide for other individuals. Professor Barba
was able to prove individuals wrong in the sense that many believed it was impossible to make
something out of having a degree in the theatre arts in the city of El Paso. He showed them that
not only can you find a job, but it allows the individual to do something he/she is delighted with.
12
13
References
14
15