Award Date

12-1-2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Theatre Arts

First Committee Member

Jeffrey Koep

Second Committee Member

Brackley Frayer

Third Committee Member

Judy Ryerson

Fourth Committee Member

Francisco Menendez

Number of Pages

246

Abstract

This thesis investigates the play and book The Diary of Anne Frank as an effective educational tool for students in the grades 7–9, when they might read the book in Clark County School District (CCSD), Southern Nevada, to study about bullying, prejudice, discrimination, and intolerance. These works have changed the lives of the students for the better, and it should be taught as a separate class included in the core curriculum. This class would also incorporate teaching historical information about WWII, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and examining the life of Anne Frank and her family.

My research includes theatre programs for middle- and high-school-age young people from well-known theatre companies, educational programs from the Anne Frank Trust in the United Kingdom, the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect USA, the USC Shoah Foundation, a visit to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and pre-show and post-show surveys/ questionnaires from 180 CCSD students who attended a May 23, 2016, performance of The Diary of Anne Frank with 1,500 of their peers at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Research has proven that students who take this class with several different topical workshops to choose from learn about the consequences of their actions, teaches to be tolerant of others, enhances self-esteem, and teaches critical thinking. This class also includes the arts, as the class will study the play as a theatre piece to perform and see on the stage.

Evidence shows The Diary of Anne Frank does impact and influence the lives of middle

and high school students.

Keywords

Anne Frank; anti-Semitism; Bullying; Discrimination; Holocaust; Intolerance

Disciplines

Theatre and Performance Studies

File Format

pdf

File Size

10000 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/


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