abstract: This dissertation is a qualitative study based on the experiences of five high schoolers and five college-aged students who grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and participated in theatrical productions within their schools, churches, the Erie Playhouse Youtheatre, and other community theatres. The author begins with an introduction of the theatrical scene in Erie and explains the options available to these youth during the times they performed, so the reader will have a better understanding of the background of these young people. The author then explores the current literature dealing with youth participants in a youth theatre setting. In his research, he notes that there were few scholarly books or articles that directly dealt with youth who participate in youth theatre. Most of the books dealt with youth who are part of theatrical programs in school settings, and few researchers utilized the youth's voice as part of the process. The author interviewed ten participants about their theatrical experiences asking them about aspects such as: positive and negative experiences, why they performed, and what they learned from doing theatre. After transcribing the interviews, the author analyzed the participants' responses for values, attitudes, and beliefs about theatre. From this analysis, the author found six themes emerged focusing on: fun, friendship, family, personal growth, commitment to productions, and negative experiences in the theatrical process. Throughout the document, the author utilized the youths' voices and kept their words and thoughts as the basis for all findings constructed and discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Theatre 2014

As a designer and educator, I am continuously gathering more resources for personal knowledge and to share with my students. Yet there is currently a lack of literature when it comes to design pedagogy for all design areas, specifically for high school aged students. How can we teach theatrical design in a tactful and meaningful way to high school students throughout the United States? Steps of Theatrical Design: A Resource for Activating Educators to Teach Design in High Schools, is for educators to learn about the process of design and spread that knowledge to their students. This thesis will act as an academic resource to guide educators towards the best methods of teaching theatrical design. I argue design should be a much more critical piece of the curriculum than it is currently being presented in most high schools around the country. Through design, students gain many valuable skills such as: critical thinking, creative expression, emotional intelligence, collaboration, and troubleshooting. I have found the best way to teach design is to practice design. This thesis is broken up into chapters that mirror the steps of the design process. Chapter One (Step One) will cover script analysis and critical thinking, Chapter Two (Step Two) will explore different types of conceptual research, Chapter Three (Step Three) asks readers to apply various influential “isms” from history of 20th Century Design, Chapter Four (Step Four) defines style and aesthetic for design and Chapter Five (Step Five) will cover designer deliverables and design meetings. As a bonus for educators, the Appendix provides assignments that can be paired with each chapter to activate the theories presented.

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