Performing the Art of Language Learning: Deepening the Learning Experience through Theatre and Drama

Performing the Art of Language Learning: Deepening the Language Learning Experience through Theatre and Drama is a work of narrative nonfiction that reveals college students' experiences of participating in foreign language plays, telling their stories in their own words. This volume gathers the voices of eight undergraduates from a range of backgrounds, from complete novices to seasoned performers, and relates their experiences of auditioning, rehearsing, designing, performing, and working backstage in theatre productions put on as part of their college Spanish and French courses. The students describe how rehearsing and performing in a second language helped them move from intimidation about their proficiency to confidence rooted in the strength of the group's social bonds. They report how finding creative solutions to production challenges helped deepen their learning and drive their progress. They also recount how liberating it was to memorize existing dialogue and experiment with it while "in role," as opposed to speaking the target language "as themselves." Additionally, this book examines how theatre infuses carnivalesque elements into the learning environment: disruption of hierarchy, a greater focus on embodiment, humor, and playfulness, and the use of costumes and disguises. The students vividly express how this more relaxed atmosphere allowed them to lower their inhibitions and enter more fully into their roles, the world of the play and the target language. This volume's unique focus yields many valuable insights for language professionals interested in exploring theatre's potential to enhance their students' language learning experience and their program's curriculum offerings.