Associate Professor of Instruction, Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities, Theatre Education Co-Area Head, Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities
Bio
Lara Dossett is a theatre artist and educator working at the intersection of multidisciplinary art, education and community engagement. Dossett teaches collaborative performance-making, theatre for young audiences, teaching artistry and arts integration for multidisciplinary connections with undergraduate students. At the graduate level she teaches courses in drama-based pedagogy and community engagement. Dossett is also the Professional Learning Coordinator of the organization Drama for Schools, which is a collaborative, research-based professional learning model in drama-based pedagogy and arts integration working with K-12 schools to change the culture of learning through the arts. Dossett shares her practice-based research at conferences worldwide, recently presenting on a climate resilience Student and Teacher Learning Community at the International Drama in Educational Research Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia. She also published a co-authored book titled Drama for Schools and Beyond: Transforming Education through the Arts in October 2025.
What do you most enjoy about being a part the of UT Theatre and Dance community?
UT Theatre and Dance attracts students and faculty that are world-class humans, scholars, teachers and artists. Everyday I learn something new from a colleague or student, and that is a huge gift. As a community we learn together and from one another, and that exchange makes my work stronger. That exchange is electric.
What is your favorite thing about Austin?
The people, the food, the coffee. So many things!
Areas of Expertise
Arts integration, arts-based instruction, drama-based pedagogy, community engagement, research-based professional learning for educators and teaching artists
Classes
Arts Integration for Multidisciplinary Connections, Performance as Collaborative Practice, Theatre for Young Audiences, Drama-based Pedagogy and Practice, Community Engagement and Partnerships, Teaching Artists in Schools and Communities
Recent Works
Drama for Schools and Beyond: Transforming Education through the Arts
Lara Dossett is a theatre artist and educator working at the intersection of multidisciplinary art, education and community engagement. Dossett teaches collaborative performance-making, theatre for young audiences, teaching artistry and arts integration for multidisciplinary connections with undergraduate students. At the graduate level she teaches courses in drama-based pedagogy and community engagement. Dossett is also the Professional Learning Coordinator of the organization Drama for Schools, which is a collaborative, research-based professional learning model in drama-based pedagogy and arts integration working with K-12 schools to change the culture of learning through the arts. Dossett shares her practice-based research at conferences worldwide, recently presenting on a climate resilience Student and Teacher Learning Community at the International Drama in Educational Research Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia. She also published a co-authored book titled Drama for Schools and Beyond: Transforming Education through the Arts in October 2025.
What do you most enjoy about being a part the of UT Theatre and Dance community?
UT Theatre and Dance attracts students and faculty that are world-class humans, scholars, teachers and artists. Everyday I learn something new from a colleague or student, and that is a huge gift. As a community we learn together and from one another, and that exchange makes my work stronger. That exchange is electric.
What is your favorite thing about Austin?
The people, the food, the coffee. So many things!
Arts integration, arts-based instruction, drama-based pedagogy, community engagement, research-based professional learning for educators and teaching artists
Arts Integration for Multidisciplinary Connections, Performance as Collaborative Practice, Theatre for Young Audiences, Drama-based Pedagogy and Practice, Community Engagement and Partnerships, Teaching Artists in Schools and Communities
Drama for Schools and Beyond: Transforming Education through the Arts