How the Dramatic Arts Affects Development
The dramatic arts increase mental, emotional, and social development by:
Increasing Self-Confidence
Taking risks in class and performing for an audience teach students to trust their ideas and abilities. The confidence gained in drama applies to school, career, and life.
Inspiring Imagination
Making creative choices, thinking of new ideas, and interpreting familiar material in new ways are essential to drama.
Developing Empathy
Acting roles from different situations, time periods, and cultures promotes compassion and tolerance for others’ feelings and viewpoints.
Learning Cooperation and Collaboration
Theatre combines the creative ideas and abilities of its participants. This cooperative process includes discussing, negotiating, rehearsing, and performing.
Increasing Concentration
Playing, practicing, and performing develop a sustained focus of mind, body, and voice, which also helps in other school subjects and life.
Teaching Communication
Drama enhances verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas. It improves voice projection, articulation of words, fluency with language, and persuasive speech. Listening and observation skills develop by playing drama games, being an audience, rehearsing, and performing.
Developing Problem Solving Skills
Students learn how to communicate the who, what, where, and why to the audience. Improvisation fosters quick-thinking solutions, which leads to greater adaptability in life.
Having Fun
Drama brings play, humour, and laughter to learning; this improves motivation and reduces stress.
Providing an Emotional Outlet
Pretend play and drama games allow students to express a range of emotions. Aggression and tension are released in a safe, controlled environment, reducing antisocial behaviours.
Promoting Relaxation
Many drama activities reduce stress by releasing mental, physical, and emotional tension.
Practicing Self-Discipline
The process of moving from ideas to actions to performances teaches the value of practice and perseverance. Drama games and creative movement improve self-control.
Increasing Trust
The social interaction and risk taking in drama develop trust in self, others, and the process.
Promoting Memory
Rehearsing and performing words, movements, and cues strengthen this skill like a muscle.
Increasing Social Awareness
Legends, myths, poems, stories, and plays used in drama teach students about social issues and conflicts from cultures, past and present, all over the world.
Raising Aesthetic Appreciation
Participating in and viewing theatre raise appreciation for the art form. It is important to raise a generation that understands, values, and supports theater’s place in society.