Applied Theatre at the Heart of Educational Reform: An Impact and Sustainability Analysis

This article reports on an impact assessment study, conducted between 2007 and 2009, of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario's (ETFO) Poverty and Education Project, an intervention which encouraged educators to challenge their assumptions about poverty and explore collaborative opportunities to mitigate the effects of poverty in their schools. A touring theatre production (Danny, King of the Basement), professional development in drama, supporting curriculum documents, and other financial and material resources were provided by the Federation to a selection of schools serving students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds across the province. Our purpose was to understand the impact and sustainability of an applied theatre intervention on a school's ability to address the issue of local poverty effectively. Our findings report on the role that the applied theatre intervention played in effecting change in relationships, initiating dialogue, and deepening understanding of social issues. Our analysis demonstrates that the applied theatre intervention had a positive effect on pedagogical relationships and acted as a catalyst in opening up dialogue between teachers and students, helping both to explore new conceptions of teaching and learning in communities facing economic challenges