On the Extracurricular Again: The Enduring Pedagogical Aims of Jesuit School Theater

This article traces the development and enduring pedagogical role of Jesuit school theater from its sixteenth-century origins through its transformations in the modern era. Far from being a marginal activity, theater as well as other performative arts functioned as central instruments of Jesuit education, serving both formative and public purposes. Performances cultivated eloquence, fostered moral habits, and refined students' social skills, while simultaneously enhancing the reputation of Jesuit colleges within broader civic and cultural contexts. Drawing on historiographical scholarship, pedagogical treatises, and dramatic repertory, the study highlights how Jesuit theater consistently pursued a formative aim—integrating intellectual, spiritual, and social education—even as its scale and public impact evolved over time. Ultimately, Jesuit theater stands as a paradigmatic expression of the Society of Jesus's integral vision of pedagogy, in which curricular and so-called “extracurricular” dimensions are equally indispensable to the work of formative education.