Creating an inclusive environment for drama and performance students, considering their diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds, is a complex and essential task that should be the focus of all lecturers in our School of Performance. Following my strategy of putting authors in conversation and in response to Blog task 2 and Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality, I will bring extracts from Ravenhill’s article for The Guardian (2007), Säljö et al. article for MDPI (2019), and Jones’s article for Gordon College/Stillpoint Magazine (2023) which provide various strategies for fostering such inclusivity, each offering unique perspectives and approaches.

Ravenhill focuses on the challenges faced by universities in accommodating religious practices while maintaining a secular stance. It discusses instances where religious students felt their needs were not adequately met, highlighting the importance of understanding and respecting religious diversity in educational settings. The article underscores the need to balance religious freedoms with secular policies, advocating for measures that allow religious expression without promoting any particular faith. For example, it suggests practical accommodations such as flexible scheduling, providing prayer spaces, and adjusting performance content to be sensitive to various beliefs.

Furthermore, Säljö examines strategies for creating inclusive educational environments that respect religious diversity through inclusive education and religious tolerance. It advocates for incorporating religious education into the curriculum to foster mutual respect and understanding among students from different backgrounds. This scholarly approach suggests that understanding different religions can lead to a more inclusive environment. Moreover, it highlights the importance of training teachers to handle religious diversity sensitively and knowledgeably. By integrating religious education and enhancing teacher training, the article argues that schools can promote a culture of inclusivity and respect.

Lastly, Jones discusses how faith can inform and enrich performance studies, albeit being focused in a Christian educational context. It explores the interplay between religious belief and artistic expression, arguing that faith can provide deeper context and meaning to performance. This piece advocates for integrating faith into the curriculum and performances, suggesting that religious faith can enhance artistic expression and understanding. It emphasises building a supportive community where students can explore the interplay between their faith and their art. This faith-based approach naturally integrates religious beliefs into educational experiences, making it particularly effective in his college setting.

Common Strategies Across Articles:

• Education and Awareness: All articles stress the importance of educating students about different religious beliefs and practices to foster mutual respect and understanding.
• Respect and Accommodation: They emphasise the need for educational institutions to respect and accommodate religious practices, whether through flexible scheduling, providing prayer spaces, or adjusting performance content to be sensitive to various beliefs.

Specific Strategies Per Article:

1. Ravenhill:
   • Secular vs. Religious Balance: Maintaining a balance where secular policies do not infringe on religious freedoms.
   • Case Studies and Examples: Illustrating practical challenges and solutions in balancing these needs through specific cases.
2. Säljö:
   • Curriculum Integration: Incorporating religious education into the curriculum to promote inclusivity.
   • Teacher Training: Training teachers to handle religious diversity sensitively and knowledgeably.
3. Jones:
   • Faith Integration in Performance: Integrating faith into the curriculum and performances.
   • Community and Support: Building a supportive community where students can explore the interplay between their faith and their art.

Contrasting Approaches:

• Secular vs. Faith-Based Institutions: while Ravenhill discusses strategies in a predominantly secular educational environment, focusing on balancing religious freedoms with secular policies, Jones represents a faith-based approach, where religious beliefs are central to the educational experience.
• Curriculum Focus: Säljö emphasises a curriculum that includes religious education as a means to promote inclusivity. Ravenhill, on the other hand, does not advocate for specific curricular changes but focuses on practical accommodations and policy adjustments to support religious students.
• Implementation of Inclusivity: Jones’s approach is inherently inclusive of Christian beliefs, suggesting that performances and educational content naturally integrate faith. This might be less applicable in a secular or multi-faith setting. Ravenhill and Säljö suggest more neutral strategies that can be applied in diverse educational environments, and are aware of an imposing Americanised Christian-centric view within current academic institutions.

Combining these approaches can create a comprehensive strategy for inclusivity in drama and performance education considering its complex intersectional challenges. Educators can draw from Ravenhill’s practical accommodations, Säljö’s curriculum integration, and expanding Jones’s faith-based (making it inclusive of all faiths, indeed!) enrichment to develop an inclusive environment that respects and celebrates the diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds of all students, as well as to understand the delicate balance between their boundaries and expression of their identities towards faith/religion/belief and their other protected characteristics. This multifaceted approach ensures that all students feel respected, understood, and included in their educational journey, fostering a richer, more inclusive learning environment.

References:

Mark Ravenhill is an English playwright, actor and journalist. Ravenhill is one of the most widely performed playwrights in British theatre of the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
in https://www.theguardian.com/education/2007/feb/05/highereducation.religion

Roger Säljö is a Swedish educational psychologist whose research presents a socio-cultural perspective on human learning and development, in https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/2/80

Norman Jones is Professor of Theatre Arts, Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts at Gordon College namely Boston’s Top Christian College, in https://stories.gordon.edu/what-has-faith-to-do-with-performance/