Implementing Readers Theatre in Arts-Based Research on Youth Identities: Reflections from Youth Peer Leaders and Facilitators

Maisha Adil; Allan Galli Francis; Negar Pour Ebrahim Alamdar; Sheena Madzima

doi:10.25071/1929-8471.169

Authors

Maisha Adil Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3332-8665
Allan Galli Francis Schulich School of Business, York University
Negar Pour Ebrahim Alamdar Contract Faculty, Department of Equity Studies, York University
Sheena Madzima Founder, TOWR Youth Development & Well-being Initiative https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2996-7211

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25071/1929-8471.169

Abstract

This article presents reflections from Youth Peer Leaders and Facilitators on implementing Readers Theatre (RT) as an arts-based methodology for exploring Asian-Canadian youth identities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on two virtual RT workshops conducted with 24 participants aged 18-24, we explore how RT facilitates creative expression, peer connection, and collective meaning-making among Asian-Canadian youth. We reflect on the ways in which RT enables youth to articulate complex experiences of isolation, resilience, intergenerational tension, and cultural belonging that traditional qualitative methods may not fully capture. We discuss methodological considerations for conducting dramatic arts-based research in virtual settings and the pedagogical value of participatory approaches. The reflections highlight the potential of RT to elicit narratives that deepen our understanding of identity formation and inform equity-centered, youth-inclusive research and practice.

Keywords: Arts-based methodologies, dramatic arts, Readers Theatre, youth identity, participatory research

References

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