Roxanne Schroeder-Arce is a teacher, scholar, administrator, arts advocate, playwright, and director. She joined the faculty at the University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance in 2010 and she now also serves as the Associate Dean of UTeach Fine Arts, the College of Fine Art’s teacher preparation program. Her theatre practice is integral to her pedagogy. Schroeder-Arce's bilingual plays have been presented to children and families in theatres around the United States. Her plays Señora Tortuga, Legend of the Poinsettia, Sangre de un Ángel, Mariachi Girl and Yana Wana’s Legend of the Bluebonnet (co-authored with María F. Rocha) are available through Dramatic Publishing. Professor Schroeder-Arce's research interests include culturally responsive theatre education and Latino/a/x theatre for young audiences in relation to teacher training. She has published articles in journals such as Youth Theatre Journal, TYA Today, Theatre Topics, and Gestos. She has taught workshops on issues of diversity in theatre for young audiences and culturally responsive teaching artistry throughout the Americas and beyond.
As a White, non-Hispanic scholar/practitioner deeply engaged in Latinx and Indigenous theatre communities, Schroeder-Arce constantly asks questions of herself and others about how and why she does her work— in areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. She currently serves on the board of Teatro Vivo and the steering committee of the Latinx Theatre Commons of Howlround. She also serves on the Board of Elders of the Indigenous Cultures Institute in San Marcos, and UT Elementary School in Austin, Texas. She is also on the Executive Committee of the Center for Mexican American Studies at UT and is an affiliate faculty member for CMAS, NAIS, LLILAS, and CWGS.
Professor Schroeder-Arce has also served as a board member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. She was the U.S. representative to the NEXT program through TYA/USA and ASSITEJ. She is a cadre member of the Center for Education and the Arts and was on the committee that wrote the new Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Theatre K-12. She is active in the Texas Educational Theatre Association, the American Society for Theatre Research, and the International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network. Schroeder-Arce received the Ann Flagg Multicultural Award from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and the Higher Education Teacher of the Year Award from the Texas Educational Theatre Association.
Prior to UT, Professor Schroeder-Arce served as an assistant professor of theatre education at Emerson College in Boston and at California State University Fresno. Professor Schroeder-Arce received her M.F.A. in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from the University of Texas at Austin and her B.S. degree and teaching credential from Emerson College. Prior to her college-level appointments, Professor Schroeder-Arce taught high school theatre both in Laredo, Texas, and in Austin. She served for several years as artistic and education director of Teatro Humanidad, a bilingual theatre company in Austin. A product of Upward Bound and a first-generation college student, she taught performing arts for the Keene State College Upward Bound program. Professor Schroeder-Arce has led professional development programs with teachers throughout the U.S. and in other countries such as Costa Rica, Korea, and Switzerland. She has worked with secondary school students in numerous projects and has taught drama at multiple elementary and middle schools throughout the nation. She also served as an apprentice at the Dramashop Program at Seattle Children's Theatre.