Friends, Readers, Playfellows, Lend Us Your Ears: Drama in the Higher Education Classroom

Lights rise.

Laura Barclay and Martha Lagoni—both doctoral students researching playful learning in higher education—appear center stage. They invite the audience to join them on an exploration of how drama can create a learning environment that encourages experimentation (Henry, Res Drama Educ J Appl Theatre Perform 5:45–62, 2000) in a playful (Sicart, Play matters. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2014) and non-competitive way, with a focus on process rather than product (O’Toole, The process of drama. Routledge, London, 1992). Martha uses dramaturgical ways to design playful learning on a Danish BA Social Education degree that prepares professionals for work in kindergartens and schools. Laura is researching the application of playful learning in higher education in the United Kingdom and is interested in student perspectives of learning French through musical theater. They discuss the importance of the learning space and how students engaged with the subject material. Both Laura and Martha reflect on their experiences of using theatrical techniques within learning contexts (Chemi, Firing, Organ Aesthet 9:21–40, 2020) in order to work in partnership with students to challenge traditional deductive teaching methods and help create a positive learning environment (Lubicz-Nawrocka, Stud Engagem High Educ 2:200–213, 2019; Toft Nørgård et al, Int J Play 6:272–282, 2017).

Exeunt.

Lights fade to black.