BRAD BOWLES (left, with Elliott Gould) entered the world of theatre at the age of sixteen when he was cast in a play ("Annie Get Your Gun") at Hillcrest High School in Dallas Texas. Three years later he had participated in three more plays. As a result of enjoying and participating in theatre, he decided to go the North Texas State College in Denton Texas as a theatre student.  Four years later, he entered the theatre program at in Baton Rouge at Louisiana State University where he received his masters degree. After completing his master's degree Dr. Bowles enrolled in the PhD theatre program at the University of Iowa and received his PhD five years later. 

In 1963, he traveled to Denver, Colorado, where he was asked to develop a theatre program in the department of Communication for the University of Colorado at Denver. The first classes he taught and developed were Oral Interpretation and Introduction to Theatre. He directed several plays in those early years ("Friday's Child," "Chairs," "Growing Up? or The Clown is Dead," My Days as a Youngling," "Rumpelstiltskin, "Grampo/Scampo," "Reynard the Fox," and "Step on a Crack") including Children's Theatre (at a small venue at Theatre Under Glass on East Colfax in Denver).

In 1995, Dr. Bowles joined an organization of "Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed."  Each year this organization meets in various places in the U.S.A. (New York, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Milwaukee). He has attended all but two these events.  Based on his experience with this organization, Brad has developed the department's diversity course -- Drama of Diversity -- into an in-depth investigation of diversity (racism, ageism, classism, etc.) including in-class lectures, student participation in games and exercises and videos of plays such as Raisin in the Sun, Color of Fear, White Man's Burden, M Butterfly, and the Band Played On. Based on Augusto Boal and Michael Rohd's "Games for Actors and Non-Actors" and "Theatre for Community, Conflict and Dialogue," Brad has investigated several methods of teaching this class and is now writing a book based on these methods.

In 2000, Brad was invited to the "International Festival of Theatre for Young Audiences."  He presented five workshops for teachers and students from pre-school through college and performed six readings of poems and five performances of stories.  In 2001, Brad was invited to attend a one month series of workshops and performances in elementary and high schools on the south island of New Zealand including poetry, short plays and classroom techniques for learning, writing and performing.

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Brad.Bowles@cudenver.edu
303-556-8529

Associate Professor of Theatre. BA, North Texas State University; MA, Louisianna State University; PhD, University of Iowa.

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