This is a really great essay babe, I love it. Some little things. I struckthrough the words I thought should be removed and inserted stuff in bold. I think that you play this essay really safe, you should take more risks and make bold statements. Sometimes you use “can be” or “often”, but you should try to make more of a point to stand up for what you say and then back it up with facts. That was the biggest thing I saw aside from a little bit of awkward syntax that’s all! Hope that helps

Grad school essay draft #4

Applied theatre as a vehicle for social change and activism is one of the most

important areas in which a teaching artist can be involved. This type of work is capable

of having a powerful effect on individuals, especially children and young adults, because

it actively involves them in what they are learning and creates a powerful gatewayS for

discussion. Theatre is vital for a child’s growth and development because it teaches many

skills and lessons. Yet One of the most valuable lessons that applied theatre teaches is

tolerance. [Because now you will explain how tolerance is taught and beneficial and

necessary for the continuation of life on earth. It has to be that important.]

For the past four years I have been heavily involved in a biannual program called

the Youth and Prejudice: Reducing Hatred Conference. Roughly 400 to 800 local high

school students in the fall and the same number of middle school students in the spring

are invited to attend this conference. After seeing a play revolving around issues of

prejudice through the lens of children living in Nazi Germany, they attend “breakout

sessions” where they discuss issues of bullying and prejudice in their own lives, along

with ways to promote tolerance.

I’ve been involved with the conference in many ways: My involvement with

this conference ranges from acting in the play, to being a student and head facilitator in

the breakout sessions (and later a head facilitator), student directing the spring play, and

being hired as the first student director for the fall play, which in the past had only been

directed by faculty. I also acted as a member of the advisory panel for evaluating and

improving the conference in 2013. Along with my active involvement in the conference, I

did an independent study course titled, “Understanding Youth and Prejudice through the

Arts” that focused on the relevance of applied theatre as a tool for promoting social

change and awareness, and I used the conference to support my research.

Before becoming involved with the Youth and Prejudice conference, I founded a

summer theatre program for public and homeschooled underprivileged students on the

Big Island of Hawaii called Keiki Performing Arts Workshop (KPAW). I directed

KPAW with several members of my the theatre company that I founded in 2008. KPAW

was started Began in 2010, a time when funding of the arts was being severely reduced.

For the first two years, KPAW was a two-week summer program, held in the cafeteria of

the local public elementary school. We had no funding whatsoever so I reached into my

own pocket to pay for basic costumes, music, and snacks for the kids. After two

successful years, we were granted funding through the Kahilu Theatre Foundation, and

the camp expanded into a more full-bodied program, with including a final performance

on the 500-seat stage of the 500-seat Kahilu Theatre. Running a program that allowed

these children to explore different areas of theatre arts was a remarkable experience that

taught me a great deal about what it takes to be a theatre educator. I have been able to see

the effective nature of applied theatre through my extensive involvement with the Youth

and Prejudice conference and KPAW. Doing this work has given me an even greater

desire to pursue a degree in the field of applied and educational theatre.

I’m also interested in educational theatre as it pertains to working with individuals

who require a specialized learning environment. Work involving teaching drama/theatre

at a specialized therapeutic schools or programs for those with emotional/behavioral

problems and learning difficulties gives me purpose. As a child, I struggled with

emotional/behavioral issues and was only able to overcome them through my

involvement in theatre. It has given me an outlet to explore different emotions in a

healthy manner, and has taught me a language through which I can communicate my

thoughts and feelings. Theatre can be a very powerful tool for the education and self-

development process for individuals who would benefit from this support. It aids in

building social skills such as teamwork and communication, and gives these individuals

concrete tools to work through their problems.

Theatre used for the purposes of education and advocacy can be transformative.

Theatre is often most powerful when used for purposes other than pure entertainment; it

is an art form that reaches people on an intimate level. Applied theatre can be used to

educate and enlighten, and often provides both the players and the viewers with a

meaningful educational experience. Applied theatre may can make a strong political or

social statement. It can challenge its audience to examine something in a new way and

often prompts a discussion that stems from the performance.

It is important to me that the graduate program I attend addresses all the means in

which applied theatre can be utilized, which is one of the primary reasons I think

INSERT SCHOOL would be a good the best fit for my learning goals. Applied and

educational theatre has the capacity to change lives. I’m passionate about this kind of

work and I believe know that INSERT SCHOOL will help me grow to reach my fullest

potential, and give me the necessary tools to be a teaching artist and also allow me to

develop my own style of work in applied theatre.