Spielraum: Teaching German through Theater

Spielraum: Teaching German through Theater is a sourcebook and guide for teaching German language and culture, as well as social, cross-cultural, and multi-ethnic tensions, through dramatic texts. This book presents a range of theoretical and practical resources for the growing number of teachers who wish to integrate drama and theater into their foreign-language curriculum. As such, it may be adopted as a flexible tool for teachers seeking ways to reinvigorate their language classrooms through drama pedagogy; to connect language study to the study of literature and culture; to inspire curricular rejuvenation; or to embark on full-scale theater productions.Focusing on specific dramatic works from the rich German-speaking tradition, each chapter introduces unique approaches to a play, theme, and genre, while also taking into account practical issues of performance.

"Parkes provides a sophisticated, theoretically grounded yet practical approach to drama pedagogy. She guides the reader through an exciting exploration of German dramatic genres and specific works, ranging from canonical to black-box pieces that can be employed across the entire curriculum. Both novices unfamiliar with German-language theatre and experts in the field will benefit from Parkes’s insightful and highly original contribution."Professor Glenn Levine, University of California, Irvine"This groundbreaking monograph will be of great interest to German teachers eager to incorporate dramatic texts and theater into their classes as well as to scholars working on performative approaches to world language learning, especially in the context of German as a World Language ... As Parkes’s monograph arcs toward a more diverse and transcultural understanding of German-speaking Europe, it also wisely gestures toward the ethical conundrums facing instructors eager to employ creative acting and theater exercises with texts that deal with questions of migration, racism, and racial stereotypes ... Parkes makes an important contribution to both scholarship on drama pedagogy and German as a World Language by considering dramatic texts that pose this challenge for instructors."Morgan Marcell Koerner, College of Charleston, USA, A Journal of the American Association of Teachers of German, 2022

Lisa Parkes is a senior lecturer and Director of the German Language Program at Harvard University.