Bridging the Virtual and In-Person Divide

Dr. Laufenberg discusses her innovative approaches to virtual theatre education in a Q&A format. Her insights reveal how online students can experience a sense of community and connection to campus through interdisciplinary collaborations.

Dr. Marin Laufenberg, a professor at Idaho State University, recently contributed a chapter titled “Behind the Scenes, Through the Screen: The Virtual Teaching of Theatre” to the new book Redefining Education with Pandemic Pedagogies (IGI Global, 2025). Her chapter explores innovative ways to teach theatre in a virtual environment, offering students immersive, interactive experiences in an art form traditionally reliant on live, in-person connection. 

The pandemic fast-forwarded the theatre world into thinking about creative solutions to creating experiences of the liveness of art through the virtual forum. For Dr. Laufenberg, who teaches Master of Arts in Spanish courses to remote students, this challenge became an opportunity for pedagogical innovation in her courses as well. 

Through collaboration with ISU’s Department of Theatre and Dance, she found new ways to immerse online students in the live theatre experience despite physical distance, giving them a sense of community and deepening their understanding of their Spanish coursework. Dr. Laufenberg uses a case study approach of her Spanish 6676: Latin American Theatre and Performance class to illustrate the benefits of such a collaboration.

In sharing a conversation with Laufenberg, we hope to inspire educators to consider innovative, interdisciplinary methods for online education that foster community and enhance learning across the virtual divide. 

 

Q: What inspired you to approach theatre education virtually, and what challenges did you face?

A: Theatre is inherently live, embodied, and communal. The pandemic made it essential to rethink how students could still experience the active engagement that theatre requires. I wanted to make sure my students didn’t just passively analyze theater but actually participated in it. For example, audience members are just as important as the presented work when it comes to theatre. The main challenge was designing projects that captured the interaction and energy of theatre without a physical stage.

 

Q: Can you tell us about some of the projects you created for this course?

A: In the course, I incorporated three main projects to actively engage students in theatrical production and analysis. One project involved solo documentary theatre, where students created and performed pieces based on personal narratives. We also did a playwriting exercise to help them develop skills in scriptwriting and storytelling. Finally, we attended a live-streamed production of Marisol by José Rivera, presented by the ISU’s School of Performing Arts in Fall 2022, where students joined as virtual audience members, which brought an entirely new dimension to their learning. They were able to watch the live performance, hear the reactions of in-person audiences, and even participate in a Zoom talk-back with the cast and crew after the show.

 

Q: How did the live-streamed production impact your students’ sense of connection to ISU’s campus?

A: Most of my Spanish MA students attend ISU online and can often feel isolated from the physical campus. By watching a live-streamed event happening in real time on our campus, they felt a stronger connection to ISU. Many of them told me it was their first experience of a “campus event,” even if they weren’t physically there. They felt like part of the larger university community, which is something online students don’t always get to experience. This experience was a breakthrough in helping them feel more like Bengals, connected to our school’s culture and resources. Student Rick Andreasen shared that in spite of the online nature of the course, he grew very close to the other students and the faculty.

 

Q: How did cross-departmental collaboration play a role in making this virtual theater experience successful?

A: This course wouldn’t have been the same without the collaboration of our Department of Theatre and Dance faculty and students. They provided access to live-streamed performances and that connection was invaluable. Through this partnership, my students experienced “live” theatre in a way they couldn’t have otherwise, and it allowed me to explore virtual teaching in a new, interdisciplinary way. The theatre department’s openness to this cross-campus interaction gave our Spanish MA students a sense of inclusion in ISU’s School of Performing Arts, an area they hadn’t engaged with before. Since our initial collaboration, for two subsequent years, the theatre department has shared streaming access to a production to my online students.

 

Q: Why do you think these interdisciplinary collaborations are so important, especially for online students?

A: For online students, it’s easy to feel isolated within just one department. These collaborations bring online students into the campus culture and help them feel like part of the broader university community. By working across departments, we’re not only enriching students’ academic experiences but also strengthening their sense of belonging. I think interdisciplinary collaborations like this create opportunities for connection and growth that wouldn’t happen otherwise, particularly for those attending virtually. 

 

Q: ISU is committed to providing access to courses, which often involves online or hybrid options. How do you see such kinds of collaborations across the virtual and in-person divide benefiting other departments at ISU?

A: Other departments could create similar collaborations to enhance online courses and bring students closer to our campus culture. For example, a science class might attend a live virtual lecture from a visiting researcher, or a history class might join a museum tour remotely. These experiences allow students to engage with campus events they’d otherwise miss, creating a more holistic and connected learning environment.

My hope is that the ISU community sees the potential for innovative, interdisciplinary online education that goes beyond traditional boundaries. Virtual courses can offer deeply meaningful experiences that connect students with their academic peers and departments across campus. I’d love to see more departments explore similar collaborations, creating a truly integrated campus environment for all our students.

 

Q: Would you be interested in collaborating with others at ISU to develop more interdisciplinary online courses?

A: I’d love to work with others on campus to share these strategies and explore new ways to engage our students. The more we can create these cross-departmental opportunities, the more we can enrich our students’ education and create a stronger, more unified ISU community—whether they’re here in Pocatello or learning remotely.

Dr. Marin Laufenberg is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Spanish and the Director of the Spanish MA Program at Idaho State University. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in contemporary Latin American literature with a focus on Southern Cone theatre. In her classes, Dr. Laufenberg integrates theatrical techniques like role-playing and dialogue creation, enhancing students’ engagement with Spanish language and culture. As a co-founder of the Spanish-language theatre group Teatro Décimo Piso, she brings practical theatre experience to her teaching, fostering a dynamic learning environment.

Her book chapter is available here.