Applied theatre and youth participatory action research engage students in powerful discussions on complex issues. A culturally responsive middle level teacher used applied theatre to motivate and empower academically and linguistically marginalized students and study the outcomes with the support of her university advisor. Their findings suggest that implementing strategies associated with applied theatre, youth participatory action research, and culturally responsive teaching have the potential to can help students develop new perspectives, learn to work with others, gain a sense of community, increase confidence through student voice, and obtain a greater comfort level with public speaking. This paper explores the effects of using these methods in a linguistically and culturally diverse Midwestern middle school classroom.