ABSTRACT
Youth are at high risk for negative body image and disordered eating. Typecasting and the physical demands of performing make theater students particularly susceptible. Written through a Fat Liberation lens, this chapter positions sizeism as an issue of social justice and diversity negatively impacting youth theater artists of all body types. This chapter asks: In what ways do conventional theater practices, including playwriting, casting, and actor training, contribute to diet culture and fatphobia? How might theater educators encourage young theater artists to critically examine and challenge fat-averse theater practices? This chapter is accompanied by a lesson plan designed to ignite conversations surrounding issues of body diversity and body image, and to inspire students to radically reimagine theater to be more just and inclusive of all bodies.
