This Hour Has Too Many Minutes (an Interrupted Lecture): The Case for Edu-Prop Drama

Authors

  • Alex Fancy Mount Allison University Author

Abstract

The author presents a dramatic script in which he casts himself as professor and the spectators as students in a course that, despite its innovative objectives, had been less than successful. The play has been performed at faculty development workshops, and the author draws on this experience to make a case for edu-prop drama, a form of drama that engages spectators -- students as well as teachers -- in a fictitious recreation of classroom dynamics. Inspired by a dramatic tradition described as agit-prop (agitation and propaganda), edu-prop drama can raise consciousness, promote empathy, and even facilitate change. Analysis of post-performance discussions of the play suggests that edu-prop can do even more than promote reflection on relevant issues. The appearance in conventional learning spaces of symbolic players in the educational game who engage in dramatized, but realistic, conflict dialogue can provoke candid reaction, beneficial interaction, and thoughtful comment.

Published

2024-03-22