Part 5 of the 12 part series: Why Drama is so important in School. – EDUCATION
One of the best byproducts of drama is in-depth education into a specific subject matter. There are two sides to this:
- On Stage
- Backstage
ON STAGE
Whatever you are performing, there is always a place and setting for it. Many times there’s a musical genre as well. This doesn’t even include new vocabulary or famous quotes and speeches.
If you perform one of these plays, you’re also learning history:
- The Diary of Anne Frank – WWII, concentration camps, Nazis, Jewish oppression
- Julius Caesar for Kids – Roman times, Caesar, politics, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen…”
- Death of a Salesman – 1940’s, The American Dream vs. reality
- Hamlet for Kids – Denmark, contemplation of life, “To be or not to be…”
- Oliver Twist for Kids – 1800’s London, orphan life
- Romeo & Juliet for Kids – conflicts in families, renaissance times, “A rose by any other name…”
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Amazing writer, 1950’s southern life, reality of facing death
- Richard III for Kids – English History, power & greed, political corruption
- Chicago – The roaring 1920’s, prohibition
Areas students learn about:
- Teamwork – you can not do any type of a production without learning how to work together!
- Vocabulary Development
- Studying Literature
- Non-verbal communication
- Creative writing
- The mental make up of a character – their backstory and motive, expressing their emotions, even how they walk and talk. (Do they have a limp, why? Do they have an accent, where from?)
- History:
- The time era – from B.C. to the 90’s – the time in history is typically woven into a play
- The dress and attire of that time
- The language around that time – from Old English Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams or Arthur Miller to modern day english
BACKSTAGE
There are a variety of real life skills that are learned when working on a production. The best part, these are hands-on, learn by doing, resume building experiences. Here’s a few:
- Director – People management and overall planning, time-lining, and execution of the job.
- Stage Manager – responsible for cast and crew’s punctuality, lighting, and other technical arrangements. As well as, they are THE BOSS once opening night goes live!
- Set Decorator – responsible for selecting, designing, and fabricating the set
- Scene Designer – Graphic artist
- Lighting Manager – responsible for the technical management of all lighting
- Make up artist
- Costume Manager
- Sound Designer
- Choreographer
Education is intertwined in any play that we do. The best part about plays is that you have to review them again and again, so the education gets wired into our brains. Because of this, I can remember every play I have ever been in, as well as the people I was with too. You?
