Ronni Lacroute Chair in Theatre Arts | Associate Professor of Theatre Studies

Connecting Story to Land: Experiences in Australia and New Zealand

Study abroad course. Exploration of the connections among story, creation, land, and culture in New Zealand and Australia. Study of storytelling practices, including Maori Waiata (song), haka (dance), tauparapara (chants), rock carvings and paintings, and mōteatea (poetry); creation of fantasy realms via New Zealand landscape (Hobbiton); and study of New Zealand and Australia’s distinctive postcolonial hybrid artistic identities.

Connecting Story to Land: Experiences in South Africa

Study abroad course. Exploration of the connections among story, culture, identity (national and personal), and history in the unique ecosystem of post-apartheid South Africa. Study of storytelling practices as shaped by indigenous communities, colonization, globalization, and hybrid cultures. Visits to performance spaces, museums, historic and archeological sites, and monuments; workshops with professional artists; walking tours of built and natural spaces; and exploration of the land to understand its relation to transitional justice, truth and reconciliation practices, and the ongoing efforts to address racial equality.

Contemporary Arts in Portland

This course examines the contemporary arts scene of Portland. Students will experience plays, concerts, literary readings, museum exhibits and other artistic works. As arts critics, students will analyze how elements of a work of art contribute to its goals and debate how successfully those goals are realized. We will examine new art, broadly understood, in the context of contemporary social concerns as well as artistic history.

Student feedback: Most engaging class I’ve maybe ever taken, really enjoyed building community with just a handful of other students and getting to go on adventures, felt like an intimate, unique experience. (Jan 2025)

History of the Broadway Musical

Examines the ways race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and ability are represented and investigated in musicals.

Student Feedback: This was one of my favorite classes at Linfield and one of the only classes I’ve taken where students were able to engage with the material in really personal and relevant ways, rather than through purely scholarly articles or historical analysis. The professor was very approachable, the material and structure were extremely engaging, and the class allowed students to enthusiastically indulge in a personal interest through an academic and analytic lens. (Spring 2020) 

This class was wonderful and our community within it was excellent. I loved going to this class, I felt like I learned so much and my voice was always heard. I will miss this class so much. It definitely contributed to my critical analysis skills. (Spring 18)

Play Reading and Dramaturgy

Exposes students to a wide variety theatrical styles and eras with focus on how to read plays historically, theoretically, and artistically. Taught with the following themes: gender and sexuality; race and racial justice.

Student feedback: Probably one of the best classes to take just to even learn about the human condition, plays are works of art usually about life even if fantastical and otherworldy at the end of the day they are still overtly human at their core and I learned a lot about not just “my people” but also about the daily realities of other walks of life and has given us all a profound new perspective on understanding the human condition. the world is lacking a lot of empathy and understanding this class feels like a necessity in my eyes. (Fall 2025)

Political and Protest Performance in the US

Examines the tradition in the US of protest as a political too, from colonial to present time, with specific attention paid to form and efficacy. Students organize their own protests.

Student Feedback: In a week, we effectively experienced more “discussions, demonstrations, hands-on learning, simulations, labs, studio, presentations, textbook/articles, videos, online activities, simulations, etc.” than many courses provide in a year. One of the only professors […] willing to discuss the complicated dynamics of gender/race/injustices in a matter of fact way. Also made me feel comfortable that if I put my foot in my mouth while sharing/processing an idea, that I wouldn’t be condemned as insensitive. (Fall 17)

The Musical in Production

Practical exploration of musical theater through acting and directing. Focus on the creation of stage pictures, choreography, music direction, design collaboration, and musical theater acting. Examination of the structure and dramaturgy of musical theater from textual analysis and artistic practice.

(Offered for the first time in Spring 2027)

Queer Theory

Investigates the trajectory of Queer Theory through study of queer media, aesthetics, performance, and performativity. We will explore Queer Theory as both an academic discipline and a creative practice and approach queerness as a noun and queering as a verb.

Student feedback: There were a wide ranges of settings that course concepts were applied to, including in small groups, large groups, through writing, creative projects and more. I really loved how diverse the concepts in which course subjects were explored this course. (Spring 2026)

Lindsey always provides clear feedback in a very prompt manner. Genuinely one of the best professors I’ve ever had in regards to grading, she was always open to questions and always transparent in her grading timeline. (Spring 2026)

Theatre History and Literature I

Investigates the development of world theatre traditions to the 1700s, including sociological, philosophical, and cultural foundations of each major period and aesthetic movement.

Student feedback: This theatre history course was the most intersectional, informative, and inclusive history course I’ve ever taken. Lindsey theatre history that we were studying included non-normative timelines, marginalized identities, and types of theatre student, I felt like I was being seen and listened to in class, always. (Fall 2018)

Theatre History and Literature II

Investigates the development of world theatre traditions from 1700 to the present, including sociological and cultural foundations of each major period and aesthetic movement.

Student Feedback: I’ve learned more than I think I’ve ever known about theatre thanks to this class; we read so many plays, and I felt pushed in my final essay to think more deeply about theatre than I’ve ever had to. It’s been a very rewarding class and I would take it again if I could. (Spring 2025)

This is America: Law, Culture and Identity in the United States

Explores the question “what is the United States?” through study of its laws, culture (theater, performance, film, television, and music videos), and historic events.

Student feedback: One of the many things Lindsey excels at is connecting class material to all kinds of disciplines and real life problems. This class in particular relied heavy one rossing boundaries, as tackling the question “what is America?” has no simple answer. In this class too there was fantastic integration of resources as there was no textbook for this class. Instead we relied on movies, tv shows, plays, articles, a graphic novel and all sorts of pop culture videos to create a well rounded learning experience. (Spring 2019)

War Stories

Delves into the ways we represent war—what kinds of stories do we tell? How do we portray heroism? What is the relation between war and gender? Do we glorify violence?

 Student feedback: Learning how to research was a game-changer. I feel so much more confident in my abilities to write a research paper after Lindsey’s explanations of process and extensive feedback. (Fall 2024)

This was by far one of the best classes I’ve had at my experience with Linfield. Professor Mantoan is a wonderful teacher who manages her class well and really helps students  with their writing. (Spring 18)

Witches, Big Bad Wolves, and Reimagined Fairy Tales

Examines how representations of race, gender, sexuality, class, age, nation, and power evolve by looking at reimagined fairy tales such as Wicked, Once Upon a Time, and Mulan.

Student feedback: This course truly was a blast!I learned a lot of new skills that will hopefully help me in other classes. This course also helped me in speaking in front of the class during discussion. (Fall 2019) 

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