Out of the Closet and on to the Stage: LGBTQ+ Youth as Playwrights and Performers
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| Title: | Out of the Closet and on to the Stage: LGBTQ+ Youth as Playwrights and Performers |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Marisa Segel (ORCID |
| Source: | Reading Research Quarterly. 2026 61(2). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | LGBTQ People, Middle School Students, Censorship, Social Bias, Drama, Catholic Schools, Language Arts, Playwriting, Resistance (Psychology) |
| DOI: | 10.1002/rrq.70111 |
| ISSN: | 0034-0553 1936-2722 |
| Abstract: | This comparative case study traces how two queer, middle school youth resisted local and national censorship efforts through bold and boisterous dramatic performances within a historic Catholic school in the northeastern United States. Drawing on Butler's Performative Theory of Assembly and critical literacy perspectives, I illustrate how the focal youth engaged in playwriting and performance in their ELA classroom not only as a mechanism for personal healing but also as a way to speak back to the layers of the social, political, and institutional contexts of their schooling. Centering the scripts that youth wrote and adapted for the stage in my analysis, I submit that these literacy activities opened up possibilities for celebration and connection. This study highlights the transformative potential of humanizing classrooms, where educators make space for youth to explore identity and discuss LGBTQ+ lives and communities in middle school. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1503973 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | This comparative case study traces how two queer, middle school youth resisted local and national censorship efforts through bold and boisterous dramatic performances within a historic Catholic school in the northeastern United States. Drawing on Butler's Performative Theory of Assembly and critical literacy perspectives, I illustrate how the focal youth engaged in playwriting and performance in their ELA classroom not only as a mechanism for personal healing but also as a way to speak back to the layers of the social, political, and institutional contexts of their schooling. Centering the scripts that youth wrote and adapted for the stage in my analysis, I submit that these literacy activities opened up possibilities for celebration and connection. This study highlights the transformative potential of humanizing classrooms, where educators make space for youth to explore identity and discuss LGBTQ+ lives and communities in middle school. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0034-0553 1936-2722 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/rrq.70111 |
