Date Thesis Awarded
5-2015
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Arts (BA)
Department
Theatre, Speech & Dance
Advisor
Laurie J. Wolf
Committee Members
Robert Ruffin
Elizabeth Wiley
Dorothy Ibes
Abstract
This study explores the effects dramatic performance can have on how science is taught and represented in the community. It analyzes performances of a travelling theatre for youth production of The Jungle Book, documents the creative process leading up to the run of the show, explains the reasoning behind key structural choices, and details what aspects of the play marked its successes. This paper’s research supports the need for performing arts as a tool to teach and enthuse young people, and other laypeople, about scientific themes and concepts. The documented production gives an example of what successive attempts to reach out to laypeople might look like. By carefully and diligently creating or funding productions and companies that build on the practices used in this play’s debut, policymakers, science communicators, and entertainment practitioners can work together to deliver meaningful messages through quality performance.
Recommended Citation
Vinsavich, Stephanie A., "Ecology and Theatre: Teaching Environmental Stewardship Through Performances of The Jungle Book" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 210.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/210
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
