ABSTRACT
Willa J. Taylor, the Director of Education and Engagement at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, details how she creates and oversees a portfolio of programs for diverse communities and constituencies at a large institutional theatre renowned for its artists, productions, and broad educational outreach to the Chicago community. In addition to traditional audience engagement programs found at most theatres (pre- and post-show discussions, artist talks, play readings), Goodman offers arts-education programs for youth and arts-in-education programs for educators. Taylor features a discussion of programs intended not for audience development but to reach communities who might never set foot in the Goodman (or any theatre) lobby. The author describes her journey from performer to educator, discussing mentors (such as Zelda Fichandler from the Living Theatre at Arena Stage) and theorists (such as Augusto Boal) who have guided her practice at the Goodman of challenging the conventional notions of what arts education can be, expanding theatre beyond the boundaries of the stage, and developing community programming that re-defines engagement as civic practice. In the process, she illuminates how she has attempted to recalibrate the practice of arts in education to arts as education.
