"Performing the Art of Language and Learning" is a narrative nonfiction that reveals college students' experiences of participating in foreign language plays, telling their stories in their own words. This volume gathers the stories of eight undergraduates across range of backgrounds, from complete novices to seasoned performers, and relates their experiences of auditioning, rehearsing, designing, performing and working backstage in theatre productions put on as part of their college Spanish and French courses.
The students describe how rehearsing and performing in a second language helped them move from intimidation about their proficiency to confidence rooted in the strength of the group's social bonds. They report how finding creative solutions to production challenges helped deepen their learning and drive their progress.
Additionally, Kingsbury Brunetto examines how theatre infuses carnivalesque elements into the learning environment: disruption of hierarchy, a greater focus on embodiment, humor, and playfulness, and the use of costumes and disguises. The students express how this more relaxed atmosphere allowed them to lower inhibitions and enter more fully into their roles.
- Kelly Kingsbury Brunetto, assistant professor of practice in modern languages and literatures
- Deep University Press, 2015, 292 pages
