Readers Theater: Diverse Learners in the Experimental Space of ‘Jaohngin’

Abstract

This article presents a case study on designing a learning environment through the theater project Binla: Thongnapa, Suriyakeeree, adapted from the SEA Write award-winning literary work Jaohngin by Binla Sankalakiri. The project integrates Readers Theater with spoken drama and shadow puppetry as a means of engaging and developing learners with diverse capacities, including students on the autism spectrum and neurotypical learners, within the context of university-level courses in performance-based communication and theater directing.

The primary objective of this project was to restore students’ relationship with reading literature, enhance their interpretive and communication skills, and strengthen their ability to collaborate. The instructor functioned not as a directive authority but as a learning space designer, creating conditions for participatory and reflective processes. The learning framework included collective reading and interpretation of the text, structured feedback circles, periodic performance evaluations, and collaborative problem-solving—particularly when faced with an unexpected challenge in venue relocation. The pedagogical approach was grounded in the theories of Dorothy Heathcote and Jonathan Neelands, who conceptualize drama as an experimental space where learners actively take on roles, make decisions, and are transformed through real experience.

The project revealed significant development in students across multiple dimensions, including self-confidence, appreciation of differences, and the deepening of interpersonal dynamics. Furthermore, the project culminated in a successful public performance outside the campus setting and was later invited for a second performance at a national science museum. These outcomes affirm that Readers Theater, when thoughtfully designed as a learning process rather than a mere technique, has the power not only to produce performance but also to shape learners who are literate, confident, collaborative, and resilient in facing the world.