The Abolitionist Potential of Critical Creativity: An Inquiry About the Impacts of Theatrical Performance for Title I Charter High School Students

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the impacts of participating in high school theater productions for Latine students attending small Title I charter schools focused on academic achievement. The study also explored what components a theater program would need to include for it to feel culturally sustaining and liberatory. The study includes interviews with nine Latine high school alumni, two white theater directors, field notes from a 2022 theater production, and my experiences directing three plays and two musicals from 2011-2016. Data were collected from January 2022-June 2022 in a combination of Zoom and in person interviews. Data analysis revealed the participants experienced many benefits including confidence, social connections, and grit. The data also revealed for a theater program to feel culturally sustaining and liberatory, it would need to feature Latine material and artists and Spanish language. The results of the study implied the arts, and theater in particular, have the power to be a culturally sustaining and abolitionist force within education for marginalized students.