This book explores consent as a foundational principle to guide practices and policies in university level performing arts education. It includes descriptions of the structural power dynamics present in educational spaces as well as tools for defusing them. It adapts the consent-forward protocols that are foundational to intimacy training in order to apply them to classroom and rehearsal spaces across performing arts disciplines. This includes opening lines of communication, actively discussing personal boundaries and modeling behavior that respects those boundaries. Additionally, the book uses experiential reflections to address the real-world challenges that teachers face as they work to reshape their teaching habits and processes to include consent practices.
Elaine DiFalco Daugherty MFA, MA, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Central Michigan University, USA.Heather Trommer-Beardslee MFA, MA is the Coordinator of the Central Michigan University Dance Program and Artistic Director of the University Theatre Dance Company, at Central Michigan University, USA.
List of FiguresAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. Consent and Power Dynamics2. Programmatic Policies3. Classroom Facilitation4. Production Facilitation5. Activities and Strategies for Facilitating Consent Practices6. Notes from the Field: The Good, the Bad, and the UglyConclusionNotes on ContributorsIndex