More Than Representation: Building Drama Programs That Sustain Culture and Identity
- Ms. A
- Jul 26
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 26
A 7-Part Series on How to Choose a Quality Drama Program for Your School
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More Than Representation: Building Drama Programs That Sustain Culture and Identity
Table of Contents:
What is Culturally Sustaining Drama?
Drama Programs That Sustain Culture and Identity are rooted in a teaching approach called culturally sustaining pedagogy. These programs do more than include diverse voices; they intentionally center them. By affirming students’ identities and elevating the stories, histories, languages, and traditions of communities often underrepresented in school settings, culturally sustaining drama empowers students to see their full selves reflected on stage. It’s not just about who performs, it's about whose stories are honored, whose voices are amplified, and whose culture is sustained.
This kind of drama education values multilingualism, community knowledge, and lived experience just as much as traditional Western theatre techniques. It creates space for original storytelling, critical inquiry, and cultural pride.
Why does it matter in Out-of-School Time?
Out-of-school-time (OST) programs serve some of our most diverse student populations. These are often the spaces where students of color, English learners, and children from immigrant communities find enrichment and connection. When OST drama programs reflect the cultural and linguistic richness of the communities they serve, they become powerful tools for fostering a sense of belonging, promoting identity development, and amplifying student voice.
In contrast, when drama programs rely solely on Western stories, values, and norms, they risk reinforcing cultural erasure or marginalization. Students may feel like visitors in their learning environment, observers, not authors. Culturally sustaining drama ensures that all students can see themselves as storytellers, creators, and leaders.
What does the Research say
The call for culturally sustaining education is rooted in both rigorous scholarship and lived educational experience. Scholars Django Paris and H. Samy Alim define culturally sustaining pedagogy as an approach that goes beyond simply recognizing students’ backgrounds; it seeks to maintain and uplift students' cultural and linguistic practices as central to their academic success and identity development. In other words, it’s not just about including diverse stories; it’s about ensuring those stories remain central to the learning space.
According to research from the U.S. Department of Education’s Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Pacific, culturally sustaining pedagogy supports learning by:
Promoting student engagement and participation
Affirming students’ cultural identities
Fostering deeper academic understanding
Building stronger relationships between students, teachers, and communities
Encouraging positive self-perception and a sense of belonging
In their 2025 Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy Infographic, REL Pacific emphasizes that when students engage in learning that reflects their home languages, traditions, and cultural worldviews, they not only learn more effectively but also feel seen, valued, and empowered to lead. This is especially critical in arts education, where storytelling, performance, and self-expression are central tools for growth.
In drama education specifically, culturally sustaining teaching:
Helps dismantle the "single story" narrative that often dominates school-based theatre
Validates community knowledge, multilingual expression, and personal experience as worthy of creative exploration
Encourages students to become co-creators of culture, rather than passive participants in someone else’s narrative
When OST programs intentionally design drama curricula around the cultural strengths of their students, they become sites of liberation where young people explore their identities, connect, and imagine new futures.
Citation: Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Pacific. (2025). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: Infographic. Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/rel-pacific/2025/01/culturally-sustaining-pedagogy-infographic
✨ The most powerful drama programs don’t just include diverse voices — they center them.
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When you join, you become part of the PEAK Backstage Crew — a network of passionate educators, artists, and advocates working to build drama programs where every student is seen, valued, and celebrated.
What does Culturally Sustaining Drama look like at PEAK Theatre Arts?
At PEAK, being a culturally sustaining drama program is foundational. We do this work because we know many students spend their school days navigating a curriculum that centers Eurocentric stories, values, and ways of being. From history textbooks to literature classes, and even traditional theatre programs, the dominant narratives often reflect white, Western perspectives, leaving many students, particularly those from Black, Brown, Indigenous, and multilingual communities, feeling unseen or “othered.”
We believe theatre should be a space where all students feel at home, where their languages, cultures, identities, and imaginations are not just included, but celebrated and sustained. That’s why our programs begin with student voice and build outward, ensuring every child has the opportunity to be the author of their own story.
We partner with students as co-creators, not just performers, shaping work that honors who they are and what they care about.
We do this in the following ways:
Invite students to bring in the languages they speak at home, whether it’s Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or African American Vernacular English
Utilize devised theatre techniques, a collaborative process where students create original performances from scratch, using their own stories, movement, and ideas, rather than starting with a script.
Explore global theatre traditions. We explore global theatre traditions, including Latin American street theatre, such as Theatre of the Oppressed —a form of participatory performance that uses dialogue, movement, and storytelling to reflect community voices and spark social change.
Prioritize inclusive casting and student leadership, making sure every child has a meaningful role and voice in the process
Collaborate with families and communities to ensure the stories we share reflect real people, real places, and real pride
One of our signature programs, Your Story On Stage, is a shining example of this work in action. Designed specifically to help students explore and share their narratives through theatre, this program invites young people to become the authors, actors, and directors of their own stories. They’re not performing someone else’s script; they’re writing themselves into the world.
At PEAK, our mission is not just representation but liberation through storytelling. When students are seen, heard, and celebrated for who they truly are, theatre becomes more than performance it becomes a space for healing, connection, and transformation.
What to Ask When Choosing a Drama Program
If you’re seeking a drama experience that honors the full humanity of every student, it’s important to look beyond surface-level diversity. A program may claim to be “inclusive,” but inclusion without intention can still leave many students feeling invisible.
Here are some thoughtful questions to guide your evaluation:
Whose stories are being told most often? Are students consistently engaging with the same canon of Eurocentric plays, or is there space for stories rooted in a wide range of cultures, communities, and lived experiences?
Do students get to share and shape their narratives? Are there opportunities for devised theatre, storytelling, or original work that allows students to express what matters to them?
Are multilingual students and students of color centered in the curriculum, not just in casting? Representation isn’t just about who’s on stage; it’s about whose voices shape the content. Are diverse cultural perspectives embedded in the curriculum, activities, and themes?
Do teaching artists have training or experience in culturally sustaining pedagogy? Are they prepared to navigate identity, language, and equity with care? Do they view themselves as collaborators, not just instructors?
How does the program invite families and community voices into the creative process? Are families welcomed as cultural assets, not just audience members? Are local stories, languages, and traditions honored in the creative work?
Culturally sustaining drama education is not about perfection, but about a commitment to reflection, relationship, and reimagining what’s possible when all students are seen, valued, and given the mic.
Coming Up in Part Four: What makes a great teaching artist?
Behind every joyful, inclusive drama program is a teaching artist who knows how to create a safe space for young people. In Part Four, we’ll explore why experience in both theatre and youth development matters and how the right adult in the room can transform the classroom into a brave, creative, and student-centered space.
You'll learn what to look for in a teaching artist, what questions to ask, and why training in child development, trauma-informed practices, and cultural humility isn’t optional—it’s essential.
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