Dr. Jo Beth Gonzalez, a drama teacher at Bowling Green High School and president of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, will address “Inspiring Commitment to Social Issues through Theatre Education” on Feb. 24 at Bluffton University.
Free and open to the public, her Bluffton forum presentation will begin at 11 a.m. in Founders Hall.
Gonzalez, who earned a Ph.D. in theatre from Bowling Green State University, calls social justice and power relationships not only elements of great dramas, but also “driving components” of her nontraditional approach to teaching drama. She will discuss how that approach influences her classroom and rehearsal environments in ways that foster qualities of responsible citizenship.
Gonzalez is the author of two books—“Temporary Stages: Departing from Tradition in High School Theatre Education” (2006) and “Temporary Stages II: Critically Oriented Drama Education” (2013). She also holds a master of fine arts degree in directing from the University of Minnesota and, in 2002, received the Wilson National Mentor’s Award to a High School Drama Teacher from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.
