The Myth of the American Dream: A Readers Theater

This article presents the script of “The Myth of the American Dream,” a readers theater researched, written, and presented by students in a women’s and gender studies class called “Women, Social Class, and Social Policy.” The script illustrates six diverse respondents’ perspectives on how family backgrounds, intersectional identities, and high school experiences influenced college access and experiences, student debt, and current circumstances. The script poses the question: Does higher education, especially for students raised in low incomes, help achieve the American Dream? The article concludes with a reflection on this readers theater and why Bloom includes readers theater projects in her undergraduate classes.