Book Review: Signs of Change – New Directions in Theatre Education: Revised and Amplified Edition

Abstract

Reviews the book, Signs of Change—New Directions in Theatre Education: Revised and Amplified Edition by Joan Lazarus (2012). This is an accessible guide to contemporary theatre education practice in the United States. In seven chapters this book encompasses interviews from 140 drama teachers. This is one of its greatest strengths, we not only hear the voice of the author, who defines, and analyses modern drama education practice with an intention to continually reinvent it; but also she shares the views of many professional colleagues from differing backgrounds. Her drama teaching colleagues work in locations from inner city urban multicultural environments to small rural communities. It is evident from this book that each drama teacher, through a student focussed lens, is influenced by and supports their students in their unique teaching environment, which is exactly how the author feels it should be. This book is not about dramatherapy, nor does it discuss it, however chapter three, ‘socially responsible practice’ is of particular interest to dramatherapists. The author gives vignettes of drama education practice around such diverse areas as poverty, class, disability, gender, sexual orientation and spirituality. This book acknowledges the complexity of current and future praxis in drama education in the United States. Above all it acknowledges that drama educators are first and foremost committed, caring, passionate, artist/educators, who have strong agendas in supporting students to explore, learn and understand in new and refreshing ways, in challenging, ever-changing complex local and national contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)