Ideas for Schools to Use the THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE Project to Combat Anti-Semitism and Racism
The free THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE theater project for schools is designed to provide a range of options including encouraging role play and critical thinking to combat anti-Semitism and racism in today’s society.
Starting with the launch event on November 10, 2019, the nonfiction one-act play THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE is the foundation of the planned expansion of the project’s theater activities for schools.
In the future additional plays or sketches will be added to the project’s repertoire to examine other aspects of the 12 years from 1933 to 1945 in which the evils of the Nazis’ irrational hatred against numerous groups of people dominated a large swath of the world.
For schools with assembly programs:
The entire one-act play (approximately 75 minutes) can be performed or stage read for the entire school by the school’s own students.
The students can then participate in break-out sessions to address important historical and present-day questions raised by the play.
For individual classroom use:
The play can be done in sections by the method of “reading theater” over several days. Alternatively, selected sections can be read for a shorter version during a single classroom period. Check out individual actor roles.
The students can then participate in a class discussion of the historical and present-day questions presented.
These discussion questions could include such ones as:
Would you hide an innocent person if this meant risking your own life? Why or why not?
For more information about the free THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE theater project for schools including possible workshops for teachers, email pzmiller@gmail.com