#BraveSpace: Theatre and the Path to
Self-Identity
By Elizabeth Harvey, Jeff Seabaugh, Meredith
Smart, Michael Kevin Baldwin, Patrick McGee,
Robin Cannon
Colwell
As educators,
researchers, and artists, we noticed that today identity is being discussed in
a variety of ways in the news, classrooms, and communities. Throughout their
youth, all students face the giant task of understanding themselves and how
they fit into the world around them. Different students face different
challenges when it comes to identity. We noticed that one of the major
challenges lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth face is developing a positive
sexual identity due to social stigma and homophobia. Also, as teachers and administrators
continue to create classrooms that are inclusive of all types of student
profiles, it is important to find ways to encourage students with disabilities
to participate in activities that will support their social and emotional
growth. Finally, there is a current national discussion concerning the rights of
those who are transgender and/or gender non-conforming. Often students who are
are transgender/gender non-conforming face ridicule and find coming out to be a
struggle. Even when friends and family
claim to be open minded, making this shift is often difficult.
Inspired by these communities, we set out to discover ways in which
youth theatre programs successfully empower students and allow them to explore
who they are and further cultivate their identities. We examined and explored
the impact that theatre has on youth identity for three populations of
students. Through observations of youth participating in workshops and
theatrical performances and interviews with teachers, administrators, adults,
and students in the greater New York City area and Western Massachusetts, our
research explored the impact that theatre has on the development of identity in
connection to students with disabilities, LGB youth, and youth who question
their assigned gender.
What we found through our interviews and observations was that theatre
can impact the development of sexual identity by offering a safe space, a
familial experience and exploration of body. Theatre proved to be a socially
and culturally acceptable medium for young people to explore those aspects of
their identity that society does not consider normal. Also, theatre was a place
where youth could explore the spectral nature of their gender with safety,
support, encouragement, and even reward. Theatre offered students with
disabilities an inclusive setting to explore and cultivate life skills that
assist in the development of their identity and social/emotional skills. Finally, while many people explained that
theatre offered a safe space, we uncovered the fact that theatre offers
participants a brave space where
participants can take risks towards self exploration and identity.
It is our hope that this research will help teachers, administrators
and parents understand the important role that theatre can play in the lives of
their students. Our schools must strive to create inclusive communities that
honor and respect all types of students.
Going forward, it will be necessary to continue to educate and train
teachers and administrators in various ways to understand how to best meet the
needs of students who are questioning their gender identity, students who
already identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and students who
have been labeled as having a disability.
We want all students to know that theatre really can provide them with a
“Brave Space” where they can simply and fully be who they are, wherever they
are in the path to discovering their identities.
