“Who is the True Man?” Exploring Cultural Identity and Diversity Through an Educational Drama Project in the Taiwanese History Museum

Abstract

Drama educators in Asia have been keen to tackle local issues with their practices in different places, communities and educational settings in an increasingly globalized Asia. This chapter reflects on the design and development of a nationally funded drama education project with the Taiwanese History Museum on a special exhibition “Wusha” event—a historical revolutionary event that pitted an aboriginal tribe Seedig Bale against the Japanese during their occupation in Taiwan in 1929. The theme of the special exhibition was tackled from the perspective of different voices of people in history. The purpose of the drama project was to provide a different lens to increase the participants’ experiences and critical thinking through a drama treasure box and three drama lesson plans involving teachers and children from six local elementary schools. The focus of this chapter will discuss how the drama expert designed and developed the lessons to achieve the educational goal from the cultural diversity perspective. The collaboration among the three groups—museum, schools, and university program design team, demonstrated a model for the development of museum theater in school and in the governmental institution. The program also improved children’s grasp of the personal stories associated with the museum collections and displays, and created strong and memorable resonances still evident several months after the visit.