Madeleine Ryan

Background

About Madeleine Ryan

As a theatre educator, I am one of many who have the unique opportunity to use theatre to inspire, enrich, and fortify life within and outside of the classroom. The purpose of education, specifically within the theatre classroom, is for students to walk away armed with knowledge about the content area, but also about themselves and life in general. I chose to be a theatre teacher because of the reflective nature of the subject. This does not just apply to students reflecting on their work, but also reflecting on experiences as a whole, and building those relationships with peers in order to produce work of an even higher caliber. Devising and studying theatre is almost like studying human nature on a metacognitive level. As students view the behaviors and qualities of characters from above, they’re able to compare and contrast these actions with experiences from their own lives. They are also given the chance to become someone they would not normally be in every day life, and this is so important in the journey of their discovery of who they want to be to others.