DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/9FT3-JH88
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7231-3793
Defense Date
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Theatre
First Advisor
Dr. Keith Byron Kirk
Second Advisor
Dr. Aaron Anderson
Third Advisor
Karen Kopryanski
Abstract
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives in higher education have been largely driven by administrators who have little to no contact with the students for whom they are working for. This top-down approach negatively impacts marginalized students and disproportionately affects the quality of experience for students with Disabilities, an often-overlooked demographic. For Disabled students enrolled in performance programs, barriers to access and inclusion don’t just exist at the institutional level, they also exist in the traditional classroom or studio as well. Through a dismantling of ableist structures inherent within higher education (i.e., American grading practices, the Western and Theatrical Canons), I argue that a student-first model of instruction, which functions on the principles of self-reflexivity, educational autonomy, and individual growth is the most direct way to successfully incorporate the guiding principle of access, which is central to achieving equity, diversity, and inclusion within college-level actor-training programs.
Rights
© Kevin Kemler
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
4-25-2023