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Undergraduate Thesis- Muhlenberg College 

How to teach about Prejudice through Theatre and Creative Drama in a virtual setting. 

There are several parts to this capstone thesis that I completed in

Fall 2020. 

1) Direct "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" by Celeste Raspani for the Muhlenberg Youth and Prejudice Conference held every year for middle school students all over Pennsylvania. This year the conference is online so even more schools can be involved. I am directing the one-act version of the play with a cast of college students from Muhlenberg on Zoom. 

2) Talk-Back Video. Every cast member as well as myself (director) and stage manager are assigned a poem written by the children of Terezin that speaks to them. They will introduce themselves, the role that they play, as well as give a short introduction to the poem (historical context and what it means to them) and then read the poem. In doing this additional video, we are making sure that the words of the children of Terezin continue to be spoken out loud and told. 

3) Dramaturgy Guide. Providing historical context through pictures and key information for the play for the middle schoolers. Also asking questions to relate it back to them and pointing to various parts of the text that relate to the history. 

4) Activity Guide. Three activities that teachers can use to teach the play in the classroom and/or virtual classroom. 

5) Paper that is eight pages in length about what I learned through this project and how one can teach about prejudice through theatre and creative drama, using the case study of "I Never Saw Another Butterfly."

Two students at Kean University watched the production and then reached out to us with interest to make a short documentary on the production!

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