Abstracts
Keynote addresses and Workshops
Celine Healy, Maynooth University, Ireland
Equity in the Modern Languages Class: What role can drama play?
To promote and develop learners’ plurilingual and intercultural competences, the modern languages class needs to be an equitable and inclusive space. To help achieve this, barriers to learning and participation need to be removed, learners need to be offered choice, and their social agency needs to be respected and supported. This interactive workshop will lead participants to explore how process drama activities can be used to support and promote equity and inclusion in the modern languages class.
Erika Piazzoli, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Drama and Intercultural Diversity
This workshop looks at the relationship between drama and intercultural diversity, based on Eric, a short story by Shan Tan. We will be working off the end of this short story to explore interactions through soundscapes, movement, mixed media and improvisation. The purpose of the workshop is to reflect on the affordances that drama, dance, and sound bring to the intercultural classroom.
Eva Göksel, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Looking forward, looking back
A reflective review of the week. We will apply some of the methods we encountered during the week to discuss and reflect: What did we experience this week? What did we learn? Where do we want to apply these ideas next?
Filippo Fonio, Lauriane Mastrocicco-Longe, Université Grenoble Alpes, France
Mise en voix, mise en corps, mise en espace: techniques de scénarisation
Voce, corpo, spazio: tecniche di scenarazzione
L’objectif de cet atelier, qui se tiendra en langue italienne et en langue française, est de donner l’occasion aux participants de plonger dans un double parcours historico-culturel tout en s’initiant aux techniques de scénarisation : revivre l’émigration des Italiens à travers les masques et les techniques de la commedia dell’arte permettra aux participants de se replonger dans l’expérience de la migration par sa mise en récit et sa performance, qui viseront à la co-construction d’un scénario et fourniront aux enseignants quelques éléments d’une boîte à outils réexploitable en classe.
L’obiettivo del laboratorio, che si terrà in italiano e in francese, è di fornire ai partecipanti l’occasione di immergersi in un percorso storico-culturale e di riflettere su alcuni principi della scenarizzazione. Rivivere l’esperienza dell’emigrazione italiana attraverso le maschere e le tecniche della commedia dell’arte permetterà ai partecipanti di reimmergersi nell’esperienza migratoria attraverso lo storytelling e la performance finalizzate alla co-costruzione di una scenarizzazione. Il laboratorio fornirà ugualmente agli insegnanti presenti una serie di strumenti utili che potranno essere reimpiegati.
Garret Scally, Atlantic Technological University, Sligo, Ireland
We have everything of what we’ve got: groupness as a mode of creation and learning
During this workshop, we will experiment with the notion of ‘groupness’ and the attendant notions of the bond of friendship, fraternity or, in a theatrical reference, complicité, as a mode of creation and learning. The idea behind this is that collective creation and the closely associated term, group devised theatre, create a vehicle for cooperative and non-hierarchical collaboration that can be used to address issues raised by the alternative approaches to second language acquisition. While the concept of ‘groupness’ is vague, it is necessary to encourage participants to become involved in the way that they can to the extent that they can. The metaphor of a kaleidoscope is useful to describe the process of creating collectively with its infinity of patterns guided by the ebb and fro, the back and forth of human interaction. The etymology of kaleidoscope lends us the aim of the workshop in that we hope to create and observe beautiful forms. In a similar fashion, what we actually do in the workshop will depend on who is in the room. There are activities and exercises planned in sequences, though, with each twist and turn of kaleidoscopic creation (contributions from participants), this may change!
Harald Pittel, University of Leipzig, Germany
Dis/abilities of Education: From Language to Performance, from Action to Text
This paper will take a fresh look at education, departing from the meaning of the Latin word educare, “to lead out”. How can we ‘lead out’, enlighten and empower ourselves and others, while at the same time doing justice to the demands of diversity and inclusion? We will look at text/language at multiple levels, both conditioning and realizing action/performance, in the light of selected theoretical approaches such as Paolo Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed, Jacques Rancière’s ignorant schoolmaster, Raymond Williams’s drama in performance, Judith Butler’s performativity and bell hooks’s critique of white centrism. A special focus will be on deconstructions of dis/ability, informed by post-dramatic theatre and the works of Jérôme Bel in particular.
Jean-Rémi Lapaire
Grammar as social drama: a performance-based approach
We live our lives as social beings and have an irrepressible urge to interact with fellow humans while sharing our thoughts, feelings, and judgments. It is the grammar that makes both interaction and sharing possible. Grammar allows the conversion of bare thoughts, raw emotions, and unarticulated world experiences into loosely structured utterances or impeccable “well-formed” sentences. This means that most of the cognitive or social events that take place during our lives end up being “grammaticized”, i.e., transformed into syntactic structures. In oral speech, the sensing, moving and sound-producing body takes a crucial part in this process, shaping and articulating meanings and forms. In this workshop, we will start by rapidly scanning through core grammatical notions and processes that lend themselves to spontaneous bodily expression in ordinary life, like time reference, logical connection, and quantification (to name but a few). We will then explore the dynamics of grammar-based motions in (negative) assertions, questions, and modal constructions through a short re-enactment of intense “grammatical moments” in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949). We will build on authentic gestural forms to internalize grammatical structures and release their emotional power while getting a grasp on the socio-cognitive mechanisms at stake. The proposed vocal-kinetic actions will be based on simple acting principles inspired by “physical” (Lecoq) and “poor theatre” (Grotowski) techniques. No expert knowledge of grammar or linguistics is needed. No previous training in drama, dance or bodily expression required.
Manfred Schewe, University College Cork (UCC), Ireland
About the blessing of linguistic diversity in the field of education (and beyond) – a performative perspective
Based on the premise that all languages are of equal value, the speaker aims to spark off a broader discussion on how performative approaches can create an awareness of the close link between language, personal and social identity, and promote respect for and interest in other languages. To stimulate this discussion, reference is made to examples of performative practices that have been presented in Scenario Journal as well as to specific Scenario initiatives to facilitate professional exchange in different languages, including a more recent project in collaboration with the Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Letterari (DiSLL) at Padua University. Furthermore, the speaker focuses on how, in his workshops, he applied performative approaches to Irish theatre plays that feature characters who are forced into making difficult language choices for themselves. He argues that through a deeper engagement with such ‘language dilemma-centred’ plays important lessons can be learned from the (Irish) past, especially by educational institutions that aspire to educate students towards becoming enlightened multilingual European/Global citizens. In conclusion the speaker will reflect on what might constitute a ‘performative language’. If we understand the arts (incl. theatre, dance, and music) to be specific performative languages: what are their characteristics? Time permitting the keynote will end with a piece of music, summer school participants are invited to listen and consider: Is the music speaking to me? If so, in what sense and how do I respond?
Modesto Corderi Novoa, EOI Official Language School in A Coruña, Spain
Embracing Diversity and Inclusive Performative Language Learning through Sanmao’s ‘Stories of the Sahara’
In this workshop, we delve into the rich tapestry of famous Chinese writer Sanmao’s ‘Stories of the Sahara’, exploring the intercultural experiences and inclusive practices that resonate through her narrative. Sanmao’s memoir serves as a gateway to understanding the complexities of cultural immersion as she recounts her life in the Sahara Desert in 1974-1975 with her Spanish husband, José María Quero y Ruiz. Her stories testify to the transformative power of cross-cultural encounters and the profound impact of inclusive, performative approaches to language and cultural learning. Participants will engage with Sanmao’s work to examine how her experiences align with contemporary methods of inclusive education. We will explore performative language pedagogy, which emphasizes the role of the body as a learning medium, fostering deep intercultural learning and creating opportunities for meaningful intercultural encounters. This approach transcends conventional language and culture education, inviting learners to embody and enact cultural narratives, thus enhancing empathy and understanding. Join us on this journey across the Sahara’s dunes to the world’s classrooms, where the stories of Sanmao and the principles of inclusive, performative language learning converge. Are you ready to start this journey?
Philipp Nawka, University of Leipzig, Germany
Rhythm in teacher training – movement, voice, and challenge
Institutionalized learning happens between tension and boredom – lust and energy are generated at the boundary between ability and being over-challenged. By embracing a playful approach, students in teacher training can effectively develop their communication skills, including dynamic use of voice and body, professional relationship building, and classroom management. But being playful often requires “training” in the first place (especially in scientific surroundings). In the workshop, we play with voice and rhythm elements to explore the fields of challenge, riddle, daring, and failure.
Rachael Jacobs, Western Sydney University
Deep Harmony of the mind, body, and community: Culturally rich dance and drama practice for intercultural understanding
The world is experiencing a turn towards racial justice in which people in all communities are asking deep questions about power and privilege and ways we can all do more to create intercultural understanding. This workshop approaches intercultural education through drama and dance, using performative pedagogies as a positive antidote to the darkness of prejudice. Cultural art forms are used to provide a portal through which participants can walk toward greater understanding. In this session, participants will experience drama activities and South Asian dance as a medium to engage in cultural conversations. Participants will leave the session feeling thoughtful and challenged, but also uplifted, hopeful, and more bonded with their fellow participants.
Sharka Dohanlova, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
The Arranged Marriage
The workshop will be a CLIL session integrating language and social and historical content through ELT. I have always been interested in history more as a human story than the number of centuries and the names of battles. I found history the way it was taught at school very hard to understand and learn. Then I met Radka Svobodová and her approach to teaching literature and history through drama techniques and conventions and realized that structuring the content through drama made it easier for the learner. This workshop will be dealing with gender issues in history, with having to change the country, language, and culture on the background of great historical events.
Stefanie Giebert, Kempten University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Drama with heterogeneous groups
How can drama be inclusive for heterogeneous groups? Based on my experience as a university and secondary school teacher, working for example with engineering or business students, with recently immigrated children, and with university students from various nations, I would like to share some of my strategies and activities. How can drama become more accessible, for example for introverted and shy students? For groups with different language levels, groups with heterogeneous ethnic backgrounds, and/or groups with varying degrees of interest in and experience of the arts and culture? I would also like to invite participants to discuss their own teaching practices and experiences.
Abstracts
DiE Days 2024
Anna Santucci
Performing Higher Education: Leveraging Embodied Learning to Foster Inclusive Teaching & Learning Across the Disciplines
As Drama Educators and Teacher Artists well know, embodied ways of being and knowing are too often discredited in traditional academic settings, especially in Western and Global North higher education institutions. Drama has a unique potential to nurture transformational change as it allows individuals to envision possibilities and imagine beyond, what is not yet. Such potential unleashes human capabilities for change by “de-mechanizing” our bodies and minds (Boal, 1992), enabling us to step out of habituated patterns that replicate systems of oppression and dominance, experiment with “utopian performatives” (Dolan, 2005), and open up new directions to enact different, more inclusive, “decolonial & just educational futurities” (Musleh-Motut et al, 2022).
This presentation will highlight key elements characterizing my current international practice and research in transformative embodied learning for educational development (see: podnetwork.org/about/what-is-educational-development/), integrating drama-informed techniques into professional development for teaching and learning in higher education and organizational change initiatives across disciplines and institutions. Specific examples will be drawn from my recent work theorizing and facilitating opportunities for higher education practitioners to grow their “artistry of teaching” craft (King ed, 2025), engage in “dialogically relational complexity” (Santucci Leoni & Nasrollahian Mojarad, 2024), tap into their “deep teaching” values (Dewsbury, 2020; see also: qubeshub.org/community/groups/dtr), and expand beyond “Zero-Sum Paradigms” (Flaming & Santucci, 2023-24) that limit their practice, voice, and agency within parameters of scarcity, isolation, and competition (Rendon, 2005), helping them build capacity for human-centered connection that values shared storytelling (Takayama, Santucci, & Caldwell-O’Keefe, 2022) and fosters trust through relationships grounded in the ability to re-calibrate and practice self-awareness, vulnerability, reciprocity, and grace (Caldwell-O’Keefe, Richardson, & Santucci, 2024), thus embracing “yes, and…” improvisational principles for genuine co-creation informed by patterns of “relational curiosity, love through vulnerability, completion, and the dialectic of being/becoming” (Perone & Santucci, 2025).
Barbora Müller Dočkalová
“The Best Day of School Ever!”: Simulating an English-Speaking Town at Primary School
This presentation reports on a drama-based project that brings together English learners and student teachers. For one day, part of a primary school is transformed into a simulated English-speaking town, where children can test their language skills, such as buying things in shops, eating at a restaurant, or even helping to catch a robber. The locations in the “town” are operated by university students. I was inspired by Carmen Bietz in her article “‘Wir gründen eine Stadt!’ – Chancen der Sprachstadt für den Englischunterricht” (2011), which introduced this concept in the context of lower-secondary school. I adapted it for children aged 7-9. The event has been held in four different years, most recently in 2024. Based on the participants’ feedback, we have developed a well-functioning model of the town, which I would like to share. In so doing, I hope to make such a project more accessible for other teacher educators. I would also like to gain feedback on researching the actual effectiveness of the project, as this has been somewhat challenging so far.
Elizabeth Vergeiner
Improvising between the languages: Multilingual Improvisation theater
Summer language courses or summer colleges bring together learners from different backgrounds and facilitate multilingual exchange. This raises the question of how the participants’ first and foreign languages can be combined in such an international context. The contribution will present an example of a multilingual improvisational theater project that was created as part of the Bovec 2022 and 2023 summer school in Slovenia with students from three language course groups. The focus of the summer college is on the multilingualism of the Alps-Adriatic region, in which students from seven universities in Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria immerse themselves in and experience multilingualism in different contexts, not only in the language courses but also in in-depth workshops on the main topic of multilingualism in various contexts of the college. The teaching project involved working with beginners of German as well as advanced learners of Italian and German, but all of them had different first languages. This short article will briefly outline how the participants of the summer school engage with improvisational theater in the context of multilingualism and thus participate creatively in language learning.
Georgia Pieri
Storytelling in teaching English as a foreign language and its benefits for learners of all ages
Stories and storytelling are particularly effective when teaching English to learners because they provide clear and unambiguous language in real-life contexts. This approach to teaching English creates a more cohesive learning experience that helps students connect language to their everyday lives. Additionally, stories motivate and inspire children’s imagination, enabling them to make connections across different subjects. Stories always give you some vivid context which is key for learning new words. It helps you create connections and associations that facilitate the entire language acquisition process. Stories teach us grammar and syntax in the most natural way. Storytelling is a remarkable tool for helping students develop speaking and listening skills. When a child listens to a story, the absence of visual clues helps them imagine the story and process the tale. A compelling story engages the mind in such a way that it can change mindsets, create emotional connections, and raise awareness about critical everyday topics. In my presentation, I am going to narrate two very small tales for learners aged 11-13 years old and I am going to present activities of how they can be used practically in class explaining benefits and promoting discussion among the participants.
Ivona Randjelovic
Working with Classical Music in the Language Drama Classroom
In this talk, I will share my experiences exploring classical music and English language learning through drama with a group of 7-9-year-olds. Using the “Four Seasons” to guide us, we focused on the present simple and present continuous-habitual actions and actions in progress. The children were asked to listen to the music’s nuances, phrasing their English sentences with the support of the musical phrases. This talk will discuss the challenges and joys associated with this experience and I will share some video footage of the children’s work.
Jane Magan
Dancing French
My presentation will briefly discuss the links between language and dance that have influenced my approach to language teaching. The French language and dance are inextricably linked for me given that French is the language of Ballet. The words are movements and I realised just how important this was when I went to train as a dancer in Monaco. The analysis and deconstruction of the movement involved using the descriptive language of dance but also imagery and the teachers’ individual style of communication. When I began teaching, first as a dance teacher and then as a French teacher, I was aware that I was trying to find a variety of ways to communicate to the students and make use of what I had observed and heard during my dance training. I wanted to incorporate movement into my French teaching so I decided to choose this as my research topic for my dissertation. This research has inspired and informed my teaching practice and my curiosity as to how the performing arts, and the arts in general, can be effectively used in language learning.
Manisha Patil
“Once upon a time…”: A Study of Impact of Storytelling in the English Language Learning Classroom
Research on storytelling and language learning has confirmed that Storytelling is a powerful tool for language acquisition and learning. In fact, storytelling has been used to pass knowledge from one generation to another in all the cultures of the world. This study explores the effectiveness of incorporating storytelling into the English language learning classroom. By examining the theoretical frameworks underpinning language acquisition and the psychology of storytelling, this research aims to investigate the impact of storytelling on language comprehension, retention, and fluency. The present study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods, including surveys, observations, and language proficiency assessments. The data is collected from college students from Maharashtra whose mother tongue is Marathi and second language is English. The focus is on the rural background students. The findings suggest that storytelling not only enhances linguistic skills but also fosters cultural understanding, empathy, and creativity among language learners. Furthermore, the study highlights the significance of the selection of appropriate stories and the use of various storytelling techniques. The findings of this research extend to language educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers, encouraging the integration of storytelling as a pedagogical approach in English language learning contexts.
Michał Gostyński
Performing Language Through Poetry
In my Show and Tell I want to combine movement, body language, dance, and acting, translate them into storytelling, and show this on stage. Firstly, I will have a short introduction to the topic with a brief explanation or presentation. After that, I will present one of the poems of the Croatian poet, Antun Šoljan titled Bacač kamena, using performative and physical theatre methodology. That is, I will speak the poetry while being in motion. The text of the work will be original, but the movement and dance will be improvised. As a native Polish speaker, I want to present precisely a Croatian piece, because I myself – using theatre and movement – learned Croatian in this way. I aim to find out how the body and speech apparatus will behave in the event of a change in the language, its syntax, or the literary type of the text and also see how movement can affect the color of the voice and the way of speaking. Firstly, I will perform alone, and later on, I will perform again while a previous performance recorded in Zagreb in 2018 is playing in the background. I want to test how the cacophony of sound and performing the same text, but for the second time, on fatigue, can cause a change in the timbre of the voice, affecting the character of my solo. The performance will be followed by a discussion and feedback session.
Miriam Stewart
Learning Out Loud!
This show-and-tell session will present the findings and practical output of an Erasmus project researching the role of humour and comedy in language learning. The project focused on two main themes: comedy as a tool to engage creativity and critical thinking, and the impact of laughter on student well-being, sense of connection, and group trust. The presentation will give an overview of the project, discuss key findings and their relevance to language teaching and drama, and demonstrate some of the useful drama-based activities developed for the classroom. It will also include access to the free resources that have been created as a result of the project.
Nicolò Salmaso
Italian Rebels: Performing Language and Creativity in the Second Language Classroom
My presentation discusses the final project for a class that I co-created and co-taught with my colleague Alvise Stefani in Spring 2023 at Indiana University – Bloomington. Conducted completely in Italian, “Italian Reading and Expression (FRIT-M 301): Italian Rebels” is an advanced language and culture course that explores the many ways in which Italian artists have rebelled across genres. Through engaging with authentic materials ranging from literature to visual arts, students study advanced grammar, learn new vocabulary, and practice the four main language skills, with an emphasis on written production. The final project for the course, a 25-minute short film (Per un pugno di libri/For a Handful of Books) crafted by our 17 students on the general theme of the class, offered a multi-sensorial approach that combined their linguistic skills with their own creativity. The main parts of the project included writing a script, choosing the visuals, conceiving the soundtrack, acting in Italian, and editing. During my presentation, I will highlight the details, reasons, and learning outcomes of the project, which ultimately allowed a better and multifaceted language learning and fostered a deeper understanding of Italian culture. I will also focus on the logistical aspects of the group assignment and the students’ overall response to it, underlining its success in promoting student engagement, collaborative learning, and inclusive practices.
Sarah Dyble
Songs are stories: developing language learning and imagination through active practical music-making
This session would encourage teachers to gain confidence in using whatever resources are free and in existence around them to create innovative ways to teach a song, starting from collaboratively deciding how to embody the lyrics as a story. The presentation will focus on a step-by-step adaptable, practical method to teach songs, backed up by a theoretical understanding of why different practical techniques are effective, as well as suggesting ideas for collaborative storytelling, adding music and instruments, differentiation and using songs as inspiration for art, composition, creative writing, drama, dance and more. The discussion will offer participants opportunities to explore one of the above points in more detail or focus on how to embed this in their own work, share practice, and discuss how these techniques might troubleshoot challenges they face in their work outside the summer school. Music can be a subject even arts practitioners hate to teach so it seems important to invest in teaching methods that facilitate quality singing in ways that are inclusive and fun, especially when working with adults who say they “cannot” sing!
Sinéad Ní Ghuidhir
Drama Games to build confidence and inspire creativity in lesson planning and delivery
I am a teacher educator and I lead a module focused on teaching skills. Through workshops, I help students learn effective classroom presence and diverse teaching methodologies, using drama strategies and games to promote creativity, imagination, and active learning. In this Show and Tell session, I will highlight the advantages I have found in using selected drama strategies as a teaching methodology for subjects across the curriculum and also as an aid to teacher presence in the classroom. By demonstrating a couple of dynamic drama games, I aim to showcase their effectiveness in helping beginning teachers build confidence and inspire creativity and imagination in lesson planning and delivery. I will also share work from my recent book, which compiles numerous well-known exercises and drama strategies that are particularly relevant for beginning teachers. By illustrating a game or two and opening the floor for questions, I hope to provide some practical tools and inspiration for the participants.
