Theatre professors Lisa Brenner and Chris Ceraso represent Drew
September 2021 – Professors Lisa Brenner and Chris Ceraso will represent Drew University in a new Project Pericles initiative focused on “transformative texts” that provide students with skills and historical, cultural, and societal awareness.
The initiative, “Building Transformative Texts in Civic Education,” includes multiple meetings of delegates from member schools of Project Pericles, whose mission promotes civic engagement in higher education campuses and classrooms.
Brenner, chair and professor of theatre, and Ceraso, professor of theatre arts, will bring a unique viewpoint to the initiative, presenting key learnings from having co-edited the anthology Represent! New Plays for Multicultural Youth, featuring plays that offer young actors the opportunity to perform characters who mirror their own backgrounds, relationships, and environments and are often underrepresented on stage.
As the pair looks forward to discussing their own experiences and pedagogies, they are also looking forward to being a part of a national conversation and bringing something back to Drew.
“Being a part of this initiative will allow us to share best practices and refresh our perspective with work being conducted at like institutions,” said Ceraso.
“At the same time, it allows our students and alums to enjoy a position as members of an educational community of experiential learners at the forefront of our national dialogue reimagining robust liberal arts education.”
Earlier this summer, two other professors joined Project Pericles initiatives aimed at incorporating civic engagement opportunities within their Drew courses.
Minjoon Kouh, associate professor of physics, was selected as an Arthur Vining Davis Foundation Periclean Faculty Leader, while Jens Lloyd, assistant teaching professor of English and director of first-year writing, was named a Mellon Periclean Faculty Leader. Read about their experiences here.
