The Theatre Artist’s Guide to Consent-Based Pedagogy introduces a Consent-Based Pedagogy designed to fuel young students’ cognitive, emotional, and artistic growth by promoting students’ agency and creating an environment in which boundaries are clearly communicated and needs are acknowledged and respected.
Building on the philosophy and practice of Theatrical Intimacy Education and expanding upon the Working with Minors Theatrical Intimacy Education workshop, this text examines the impact of cognitive development on learning and creativity and provides a pedagogical framework that prioritizes student agency and growth while encouraging creative risk-taking. This book draws on cognitive science to identify how students’ brains change during different developmental stages and when faced with modern challenges, such as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, early screen exposure, and chronic stress, and provides theatre educators with teaching tools, lesson plans, and practical approaches to effectively and ethically work with today’s youth. It also addresses the history of trauma, emotional manipulation, and exploitation in theatrical productions and classrooms, analyzing how these inherited practices have limited students’ learning capacity. Offering shifts in facilitation techniques that align with students’ cognitive, social, emotional, and artistic needs, this text suggests ways for teachers to adapt their teaching methodologies to better support students at their most vulnerable.
With over 20 lesson plans and activities rooted in anti-oppressive pedagogies, Universal Design for Learning, and culturally sustaining teaching strategies, this guide equips theatre artists and educators with actionable strategies for supporting students and young artists. These lessons model a shift towards transparent teaching and consent-based facilitation of creative spaces to establish theatrical learning and production processes that empower students through the use of developmentally appropriate pedagogy.
By:
Amanda Rose Villarreal,
Kim Shively
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 254mm,
Width: 178mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032747231
ISBN 10: 1032747234
Pages: 156
Publication Date: 12 December 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Section 1: The Teacher’s Philosophy: Understanding Cognitive Development, Trauma, and Past Practices to Inform Our Pedagogical Updates 1. Updating Our Praxis: The Tenets of Consent-Based Pedagogy 2. Shades of Grey: Brain Development and Theatre Education 3. Understanding Trauma and Acknowledging Theatre Education’s Loaded Inheritance 4. Applying the Philosophy: Consent-Based Teaching Tools 5. Better is Better and More Accessible: Exploring the Intersections of UDL and Consent-Based Practices for more Accessible, Inclusive Theatre Pedagogies Section 2: The Teacher’s Practice: Lesson Plans and Facilitation Guides for Building a Consent-Based Pedagogy 6. Theatrical Intimacy Education Tools Adapted for Theatre Classrooms 7. Dealing with Discomfort and Uncertainty in Creative Learning and Production Processes 8. Creating Cognitive Buffers and Deroling Creative Learning and Production Processes 9. Creating Community Norms Within the Theatre Classroom: A Consent-Based Approach 10. Finding Your Center: A Case Study of Consent-Based Pedagogy in a University Theatre History Course
Amanda Rose Villarreal is Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance and Subject Area Coordinator of Theatre Education at California State University Fullerton. Having taught K12 theatre and directed youth performance for over a decade, Amanda Rose now works professionally as an intimacy choreographer, director, and immersive artist. Amanda Rose co-founded the Journal of Consent-Based Performance and is Guiding Faculty with Theatrical Intimacy Education. Kim Shively is an Associate Professor in the Department of Performing Arts at Elon University where she teaches acting and directs. She is also Guiding Faculty with Theatrical Intimacy Education, where she developed the Working with Minors workshop, and works as an intimacy educator, choreographer, and coordinator. Kim is also co-author of Applied Meisner for the 21st-Century Actor. A member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, Kim has enjoyed a professional career in Theatre, Television, Commercials, Hosting, and Voice-over.
