A transformative classroom experience : exploring campus mental health through theatre for dialogue

This MFA thesis document investigates the experience of participants in a Theatre For Dialogue: Exploring Perceptions of Mental Health course. During the fall of 2014, a small group of undergraduate and graduate students used the Voices Against Violence Theatre For Dialogue methodology to explore issues of student mental health at The University of Texas at Austin. Working from a feminist pedagogical framework, this qualitative study uses narrative thematic analysis to examine how key aspects of the semester-long course supported transformative learning and a shift in identity for each of the course participants. This document concludes with a discussion of limitations and recommendations for employing the Theatre For Dialogue methodology in university and community-based settings.