Supporting theatre education through resources and policy

Abstract

Theater educators, like their music, dance, and visual arts counterparts, had to pivot quickly to provide educational opportunities in theater for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article outlines how two national associations, the Educational Theater Association, and the American Alliance for Theater in Education, responded to the crisis and provided support to theater educators in the field during the pandemic. In addition, the article includes information on a brief survey conducted with theater educators in Fall, 2020, speaking to how they were teaching during the pandemic, and what they were teaching, including administrative and resource supports. The online curricular and instructional resources created by EdTA are of particular interest as the organization was just ramping up online professional development at the start of the pandemic. During the pandemic, EdTA came to the forefront in providing resources for all educators on how to create instructional content in a variety of platforms.