Teaching with the Arts Webinar: Power, Protest, and Daringness: Snapshots from a Century of Russian and East European Theater
- Event Type
- Professional Development
- Sponsor
- Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University; Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies, University of Pittsburgh; Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies, University of Kansas; Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, The Ohio State University; Center for Slavic, Eurasian and Eastern European Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute, Indiana University; & Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
- Virtual
- Join online
- Date
- Feb 3, 2026 5:30 - 7:00 pm
- Speaker
- Alisa Ballard Lin (Associate Professor, Graduate Studies Chair, Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures, Ohio State University)
- Cost
- Free and open to the public
- Registration
- RSVP
- Contact
- Rachel Schmalz
- rschmalz@illinois.edu
- Views
- 4
- Originating Calendar
- Russian, E. European & Eurasian Center: Outreach
Theater has played an influential and important role in Russia and Eastern Europe, where theatergoing is often an ordinary, affordable, and highly valued activity. Theater in this region, whether at independent theaters or at state-funded national theaters, has maintained a resilient artistic and political voice throughout the political turmoil of WWI and the destruction of European empires, through the censorship and repressions of the Communist period, through a globalized Europe and Russia’s brutal war with a NATO- and EU-ally today. In this presentation, I’ll zero in on several particular theatrical productions that give special insight into the intersection of the artistic and the political over the past century in this region. The selected productions will all be ones that are exciting, accessible, and teachable through readily available translated plays, photographs, videos, and/or scholarly commentary.
A six-part webinar series is designed to help educators integrate the arts into their classrooms, with a focus on the diverse art forms of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. Each 90-minute session will explore a different art form, including music, dance, literature, visual arts, cultural artifacts, and theater/film. Participants will learn about different art forms and practical strategies for incorporating them into their teaching, drawing on expert insights and resources from leading institutions. While the webinars are part of a cohesive series, educators are welcome to attend any or all of the sessions. Educators who participate in the entire series will be awarded 10 PDP (contact) hours. This series offers a unique opportunity to enrich your curriculum with creative and engaging resources from the Eastern European and Eurasian cultural tradition.