Though our Teatro VIDA (“Vision, Identity, Drama and Art”) program, we have created Spanish-language theater for the past ten years, and Portuguese-language theater for the past three years. These performances reach beyond the IU community into Bloomington and beyond, involving the participation of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates.
The ten seasons of Teatro VIDA performances provide a significant example of the application of theory to practice from the perspective of language learning for undergraduate and graduate students. Each season involves the production of 3-4 one-act plays.
Graduate students, with the help of a faculty mentor, select the plays and are responsible for all elements of staging—from acting and direction to production, including the solicitation of grants to support the project. The performances, usually to packed houses, represent a significant example of outreach to the local Hispanic community, to Indiana University students and faculty, and to audiences from the region, including Indianapolis and Ohio University in recent years. Dozens of graduate students have been involved with VIDA as directors, crew, actors, and producers.
The College of Arts