Abstract
This study explores the practices, processes and outcomes of Play! with Afton Sanders, an afterschool theatre program that ran in three workshops from March 2006 to March 2007. I designed and implemented Play! with Afton Sanders to strengthen children's sense of self and cultural awareness. The children who participated in the program ranged in age from six to eight-years-old, and many of them had little if any previous exposure to any form of theatre. This thesis examines the children's theatre activities and conversations using Madeline Levine's personal development theory and Henri Tajfel and John Turner's social identity theory. I used these two theories and data collected from participant observation, journal writing (my own and that of the children), and questionnaires completed by the children to interpret the children's reasoning behind their actions and reactions to each other and the activities. All three workshops presented three major outcomes that address how theatre can influence positively children's personal and social development. This thesis examines how: 1) theatre prompts children's individuality; 2) theatre promotes children's social competence through group interaction and 3) Theatre prompts discussion and recognition of children's perceptions of race and culture.