The study documents an applied theatre workshop for youth aged 10-13 and had two points of focus: the first was how young people and artist-educators collaboratively used theatre to learn about themselves, each other, and the world around them; and the second was about how young people from LGBTQ2S+ families used theatre and performance as a form of advocacy by sharing their stories and experiences through their artwork.
Working alongside youth participants, this research attuned to the relational aspects of theatre creation by drawing on affective encounters through aesthetic learning. Youth and artist-educators, including artists on our research team benjamin lee hicks and Kate Reid, shared stories, wrote songs, choreographed movement, played with puppets, and made books. The applied theatre work was self-revelatory, deeply personal, and created a powerful space for the youth to understand their everyday experiences on their own terms. It is an exciting thesis study which will be available on T-Space, the University of Toronto's online repository soon.
The research team held a virtual celebration of Pam's successful exam defense at our last research meeting on March 27, 2020. We are all very proud of Dr. Pam Baer's work! Below is a picture of Pam and supervisor Tara Goldstein right after the defense. Congratulations Dr. Pam Baer!