The Learning Potential of the Alliance Between Theatre and Digital Games

Abstract

The affinities, interaction, and cross-fertilization of theatre art with games date back at least to the early modern period. However, since the 1990s, a pronounced and promising interconnection has been fostered between theatre and digital games, in theory, and practice, manifesting in fields like theater in education. In the present paper, we set forth some of the key constitutive elements of the said interconnection, underlining the benefits of studying digital gaming using theater as a basic reference model. Next, we turn to the affordances of the theatre-digital games alliance for the theatre and its reception by a diverse public. Finally, we discuss the presence of the said alliance in learning environments, zooming in on a few well-documented and effective methods through which it has been integrated into the praxis of theatre in education. Keywords: Digital games; performance; theatre; theatre in education