Theatre Education and Applied Theatre

8.1 Teaching

• Participation in pedagogically oriented seminars and workshops
• Teaching with multiple publics, communities and audiences as civic practice. Such community-engaged teaching may include the teaching of service learning courses, the guiding of external internships, clinical practice, study abroad or international programs, the inclusion of community members with the College’s students as co-learners, or the teaching of a community-based research course.
• Creation of new courses and programs
• Effective use of technology to support teaching, where appropriate
• Course syllabi should demonstrate revisions and additions to address the changing needs of students and/or changes in the practice of public and civic engagement and applied theatre, as well as incorporate the results of candidates’ ongoing research and creative/professional experiences and the integration of this experience into course requirements.
  • Course expectations noted in the syllabi should demonstrate a commitment to academic quality.
  • Assignments to students in courses will be rigorous and relevant to the goals and expected learning outcomes of the course.
• Examples of exceptional student or community work done under candidates’ mentorship
• Record of alumni accomplishments
• Active mentorship of both students and community partners
• Effective service as an advisor to students

These teaching metrics are in addition to the standard evaluation metrics employed across the college, syllabi and teaching materials, peer observations, and student course evaluations.

8.2 Scholarship and Creative/Professional Work

Candidates may excel in either scholarship, creative/professional activity, civic
engagement and public practice, or in some combination of the three. Expectations for
the volume of accomplishments must be adjusted accordingly.

Scholarship

• A book published or completed manuscript and a contract-in-hand with a nationally recognized press or either an academic or university press, OR
• In the probationary period, 5 single-authored, substantial articles in recognized journals in the field of theatre education for which the faculty member doesn’t serve in any editorial capacity, other than as an occasional reader of “blind” submissions. Essays published as chapters in books or anthologies edited by scholars recognized in one’s field are also equivalent.
  Scholarship related to civic engagement and public practice may be collaboratively authored and can appear in a form and manner that ensures its accessibility to communities who contributed to the scholarship, or were interested in or impacted by the scholarship, including when such publication or dissemination appears in popular presses, falls outside nationally refereed journals, or occurs as arts-based research. Such scholarship can include publications for refereed journals, technical reports, exhibitions, presentations, program evaluations, public policy analyses, and public programs. Depending on the scale, significance, context, and impact, such scholarship is equivalent to either one or two articles as referenced above.

Activities that will augment the case for scholarly accomplishment include:

• Additional publications, such as:
  • Interviews with directors, community partners, playwrights, performers, teachers
  • Reports from theatre festivals
  • Contributions to encyclopedias, anthologies, or similar works
• Other evidence of advancing the field of theatre education and applied theatre in the country.
• Conference presentations, papers, round tables, invited lectures, panels, workshops, or similar scholarly endeavors.

Creative Work

This requirement can be satisfied by a combination of the following accomplishments totaling at least 5 entries.

• Adaptations, plays and translations, written for educational purposes, as a part of community-engaged public and civic practice, or for professional theatre production. They should be published and produced either with paid professional theatres and groups, in paid professional venues nationally known for high artistic quality or for their educational programming, or, in the case of community-engaged work, in venues where their impact on a local or regional level is significant and impactful.
• Directing productions for young audiences with paid professional theatres or in paid professional venues known for high artistic quality, such as theatres and organizations that engage members from the major trade unions including AEA, AFTRA, SAG, SSDC, USA, USITT, AGVA, and AGMA. Directing work should have evidence of review by local and national media along with published criticism and scholarship about productions directed by the candidate.
• Producing, performing, directing, or designing as a part of community-engaged civic practice, including with youth theatres. Such activity can occur with reputable companies known for the high quality and value of theatre education or applied theatre, or occur as the result of community partnerships, the value of which is documented by a consideration of the significance (goals and objectives of consequence), context (relationship to stakeholder interests, appropriateness of expertise, degree of collaboration and creative use of resources), and impact (on institutions and individuals, sustainability and capacity building) of the project. Such documentation should include reports from community members/partners on the impact of the program and achievement of goals.

Activities that will augment the case for creative accomplishment include:

• Evidence of creatively advancing the fields of Theatre Education, Applied Theatre or Community-Engaged Practice on a national level
• Creative work might involve media other than the written word, such as dramatic performance, direction, and/or electronic publishing
• Small-scale projects and programs with local schools and community organizations
• Prizes, awards, fellowships or other recognitions for playwriting, direction, dramaturgy, design or community-engaged practice.

8.3 Service

Activities related to service can include:

• Membership and involvement in professional organizations such as the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and ASSITEJ/USA, ITYARN (International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network), and EdTA (Educational Theatre Association)
• Membership and involvement in professional organizations related to applied theatre and community-engaged practice and scholarship
• Establishing, deepening and sustaining community-campus partnerships
• Assisting community-based organizations in obtaining grants and other resources
• Serving on steering committees, boards and related governing bodies
• Engaging in activities intended to foster the development of capacity and agency within and among community groups
• Conducting presentations in educational and cultural institutions

For Promotion to Full Professor

8.2 Scholarship and Creative/Professional Work

Evidence of excellence in the post-tenure period in scholarship, professional, creative and/or community-engaged work may be demonstrated by submitting a combination of the following adding up to at least 5 items:

• Single-authored, substantial articles in recognized journals in the field of theatre education with which the faculty member doesn’t serve in any editorial capacity, other than as an occasional reader of “blind” submissions. Essays published as chapters in books or anthologies edited by scholars recognized in one’s field are also equivalent.
• Scholarship related to civic engagement and public practice may be collaboratively authored and can appear in a form and manner that ensures its accessibility to communities who contributed to the scholarship, or were interested in or impacted by the scholarship, including when such publication or dissemination appears in popular presses, falls outside nationally refereed journals, or occurs as arts-based research. Such scholarship can include publications for refereed journals, technical reports, exhibitions, presentations, program evaluations, public policy analyses, and public programs and events. Depending on the scale, significance, context, and impact, such scholarship is equivalent to either one or two articles as referenced above.
• Adaptations, plays and translations, written for educational purposes, as a part of community-engaged public and civic practice, or for professional theatre production. They should be published and produced either with paid professional theatres and groups, in paid professional venues nationally known for high artistic quality or for their educational programming, or, in the case of community-engaged work, in venues where their impact on a local or regional level is significant and impactful.
• Directing productions for young audiences with paid professional theatres or in paid professional venues known for high artistic quality, such as theatres and organizations that engage members from the major trade unions including AEA, AFTRA, SAG, SSDC, USA, USITT, AGVA, and AGMA. Directing work should have evidence of review by local and national media along with published criticism and scholarship about productions directed by the candidate.
• Producing, performing, directing, or designing as a part of community-engaged civic practice, including with youth theatres. Such activity can occur with reputable companies known for the high quality and value of theatre education or applied theatre, or occur as the result of community partnerships, the value of which is documented by a consideration of the significance (goals and objectives of consequence), context (relationship to stakeholder interests, appropriateness of expertise, degree of collaboration and creative use of resources), and impact (on institutions and individuals, sustainability and capacity building) of the project. Such documentation can include letters of support/appreciation from community members/partners.

Additional considerations may include the following:

• Evidence of continued engagement and excellence in either scholarship, creative/professional activity, civic engagement and public practice, or in some combination of the three as appropriate, with gained national recognition through having obtained awards, fellowships and/or favorable reviews or other markers of the quality of the work published and/or produced. The candidate will have produced a significant body of work that is published, including in modes of publication appropriate for community-engaged work and/or, if creative, written about by theatre critics, important scholars in the field, or those able to speak to the value of the work as community-engaged practice.
• Demonstrated national and/or international recognition through published and/or produced work, national and international conference papers, presentations and/or workshops. This recognizes that Boston is a national media center and that some of the work created here may be seen and reviewed as on a national level. This further recognizes that critics do not always mention the contributions of individual artists in a production. This should not be considered to be detrimental to promotion.