Identify This…A Readers’ Theater of Women’s Voices
- Amanda Van Hooser (Iowa State University)
Abstract
Identify This . . . A Readers’ Theater of Women’s Voices is the culmination of a semester-long study of diversity and identity in Women’s Studies 450/550X, “Explorations of Race, Class, and Gender.” Readers’ theater is an interactive educational tool that uses performance to promote new learning, introspection, and meaningful discussion. To create this readers’ theater, class members read theoretical works about diversity and identity and then developed interview questions based on course readings. They then conducted interviews, transcribed interview tapes, and turned the interviews into the readers’ theater. In a readers’ theater, the audience is asked to actively listen and think about what they learn; they are also asked to share their responses with the performers and others in the audience. Identify This ... focuses on the life experiences of five different women. Issues of diversity and identity, particularly focusing on the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability/ disability, nationality, and border crossings will be explored.