Abigail Shabtay
Assistant Professor
Email: ashabtay@yorku.ca
Dr. Abigail Shabtay is an Assistant Professor in the Children, Childhood, and Youth program in the Department of Humanities. She is also appointed to the graduate programs in Theatre and Performance Studies, Education, Communication and Culture, and Humanities. Dr. Shabtay has received awards for excellence in teaching and research in her field, including the Humanities Award for Teaching Excellence (2020-2021), the York Student Accessibility Award (2020-2021), the Ada Slaight Drama in Education Award (2018-2019), the Jackie Kirk Fieldwork Award (2018-2019), and the DISE Outstanding Teaching Award (2018). Dr. Shabtay’s research focuses on children’s rights, social justice, child-centred research methodologies, experiential pedagogies, theatre with children and youth, youth activism, and drama-based participatory action research. She is currently the Principal Investigator for four SSHRC-funded projects related to children, youth, and the performing arts. She has served on organizing committees for seven academic conferences in her field and is the Chair of the annual "Children, Youth and Performance Conference".
Note: I take graduate primary supervision very seriously, and only accept graduate students if I have the required time and expertise to support their work: this support typically begins before the student applies at York. If you are a student applying to a graduate program at York and would like to work with me, please ensure that you reach out to me before listing me as a potential primary supervisor.
Degrees
PhD, McGill UniversityMA, King's College London (UK)
Research Interests
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
The overarching goal of this project is to address a children's theatre's challenge of re-conceptualizing its collaborative playwriting for an online context, and gain an understanding children's perspectives, engagement and reception of the program.
-
Summary:
The goal of this initiative is to facilitate conversations about the applications and implications of performance work with, by, for and about children and youth. This project is an interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge among researchers, practitioners, artists, and community organizers whose work focuses on performance and young people.
-
Summary:
The overarching goal of this project is to address a touring theatre organization's challenge of developing live performances for children in an online setting during the pandemic.
-
Summary:
The overall aim of this research project is to identify best practices for using drama-based methods in participatory research with children and youth, using a rights-based and critical child and youth studies approach.
-
Summary:
This conference connects academic researchers, practitioners, artists, educators, students and community organizers, focusing on new approaches and reflections regarding performance work with, by, for and about children and youth. It is driven by the themes of [1] equity, diversity and inclusivity in the performing arts; [2] digital and hybrid performances by, with, for, and about children and young people; [3] sustainability and well-being in child-centred performance work; [4] queerness in performances and theatre for young audiences; and, [5] learning and unlearning through the performing arts.
Dr. Abigail Shabtay is an Assistant Professor in the Children, Childhood, and Youth program in the Department of Humanities. She is also appointed to the graduate programs in Theatre and Performance Studies, Education, Communication and Culture, and Humanities. Dr. Shabtay has received awards for excellence in teaching and research in her field, including the Humanities Award for Teaching Excellence (2020-2021), the York Student Accessibility Award (2020-2021), the Ada Slaight Drama in Education Award (2018-2019), the Jackie Kirk Fieldwork Award (2018-2019), and the DISE Outstanding Teaching Award (2018). Dr. Shabtay’s research focuses on children’s rights, social justice, child-centred research methodologies, experiential pedagogies, theatre with children and youth, youth activism, and drama-based participatory action research. She is currently the Principal Investigator for four SSHRC-funded projects related to children, youth, and the performing arts. She has served on organizing committees for seven academic conferences in her field and is the Chair of the annual "Children, Youth and Performance Conference".
Note: I take graduate primary supervision very seriously, and only accept graduate students if I have the required time and expertise to support their work: this support typically begins before the student applies at York. If you are a student applying to a graduate program at York and would like to work with me, please ensure that you reach out to me before listing me as a potential primary supervisor.
Degrees
PhD, McGill UniversityMA, King's College London (UK)
Research Interests
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
The overarching goal of this project is to address a children's theatre's challenge of re-conceptualizing its collaborative playwriting for an online context, and gain an understanding children's perspectives, engagement and reception of the program.
Project Type: FundedRole: Principal Investigator
-
Summary:
The goal of this initiative is to facilitate conversations about the applications and implications of performance work with, by, for and about children and youth. This project is an interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge among researchers, practitioners, artists, and community organizers whose work focuses on performance and young people.
Project Type: FundedRole: Principal Investigator
-
Summary:
The overarching goal of this project is to address a touring theatre organization's challenge of developing live performances for children in an online setting during the pandemic.
Project Type: FundedRole: Principal Investigator
-
Summary:
The overall aim of this research project is to identify best practices for using drama-based methods in participatory research with children and youth, using a rights-based and critical child and youth studies approach.
Project Type: FundedRole: Principal Investigator
-
Summary:
This conference connects academic researchers, practitioners, artists, educators, students and community organizers, focusing on new approaches and reflections regarding performance work with, by, for and about children and youth. It is driven by the themes of [1] equity, diversity and inclusivity in the performing arts; [2] digital and hybrid performances by, with, for, and about children and young people; [3] sustainability and well-being in child-centred performance work; [4] queerness in performances and theatre for young audiences; and, [5] learning and unlearning through the performing arts.
Project Type: FundedRole: Principal Investigator
Keele, Glendon and Markham Campus
Contact
(416) 736-2100
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