Location
Preston 1
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
While much of theater therapy has focused on acting, there are other sections of the theatrical world which might be useful to help teach and focus other useful skills to students who have special needs. Stage managers, the unsung and often times unnoticed heroes of the theater community, require many basic skills that could be very helpful for students to learn and practice including organization skills, time management, social skills, basic leadership skills, and at higher ends project management. While not every student with special needs will be able to manage and master all of the skills that a stage manager needs at the professional level, experience as a stage manager can impact and improve skills that can last a lifetime.
Keywords
Theater Therapy, Drama Therapy, Students with special needs, Stage Management, autism
Professional Bio
Melvin S. Marsh has a MS in Psychology (with teaching concentration) from Georgia Southern University among many other degrees. Melvin, who suffers from severe high functioning autism, credits early training in stage management for his project management, time management, and various other skills. Melvin S. Marsh is also a member of Actor’s Equity Association the union which represents Stage Manager and owns Turtle Tail Productions.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Marsh, Melvin S., "Theater Therapy : Using Stage Management to Teach Students with Disabilities" (2024). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 2.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2024/2024/2
Theater Therapy : Using Stage Management to Teach Students with Disabilities
Preston 1
While much of theater therapy has focused on acting, there are other sections of the theatrical world which might be useful to help teach and focus other useful skills to students who have special needs. Stage managers, the unsung and often times unnoticed heroes of the theater community, require many basic skills that could be very helpful for students to learn and practice including organization skills, time management, social skills, basic leadership skills, and at higher ends project management. While not every student with special needs will be able to manage and master all of the skills that a stage manager needs at the professional level, experience as a stage manager can impact and improve skills that can last a lifetime.
