Drama as a Miracle Worker!

If you have already visited my website, you'd notice how much I believe in Drama having the ability to change the world. If you haven’t done so, make sure you do! I have an awesome website that took my days to perfect! But I bet you’re wondering, how can Drama can change the world? My answer is simple! It’s because it can change and shape human beings!

In Matilda, Tim Minchin’s wonderful lyrics say: “Each newborn life a canvas yet unpainted / This still, unbroken skin / This uncorrupted mind”.

When children are born, they are practically clean canvases upon which traditions, families, cultures, and societies are painted on. These uncorrupted minds are being moulded into the adults they will one day become. Isn't Minchin a genius?

Drama is an incredibly powerful tool that can help shape these little humans into sensible and intelligent adults. I have proof of this and this comes from parents just like yourself. After attending a few lessons, parents often comment about the improvement they see in their children due to the benefits that Drama has to offer. So, let’s crack on with a list of benefits and improvements you can eventually witness after sending your child to Drama lessons.

Benefit 1: Creativity & Imagination

Even though I constantly encourage my students to be themselves, through my exercises and games, they get to interpret fascinating characters living in different places, times, and social situations. By becoming different personas, children enhance their creativity, learn to express their emotions in creative ways, and most importantly, discover themselves as human beings! This leads to clever thinking which encourages creative problem solving and thinking outside the box. It allows them to view the world differently! “Imagination is more important than knowledge!” Albert Einstein’s words, not mine.

Benefit 2: Emotional Expression

Drama invites children to experience a range of emotions. In my classes, powerful emotions are released in a safe and calm environment. I carefully teach my students how to control and handle these challenging emotions to be able to handle them safely when experienced outside of Drama. Furthermore, this encourages emotional reflection which makes them analyse how things could be improved in the future.

Benefit 3: Self-Confidence

Let’s be honest, learning an entire script and performing it in front of an audience, with butterflies in your stomach and anxieties in your head telling you you’re going to mess up that line in Act 5 Scene 3, is no joke. It takes courage and you need to be brave!

Drama, as a unique form of expression, encourages the freedom to explore oneself whilst unraveling thoughts and emotions where mistakes do not exist. This is something parents, including those with the shyest children, mention quite often. They notice an improvement in the way their child plays with friends, the way they express themselves, and the way they learn more about themselves.

If you think about it, interacting with a character in an imaginary setting is no different than interacting with a friend on the school playground. When a child plays in a secure environment, where they're not being told off for their mistakes, they take bigger risks which leads to a boost in their self-esteem and inner confidence. This makes them rely more on their gut feelings and fully trust their abilities. This is a precious transferable skill that they can apply in the future, at their place of work, at university, or in social situations.

Benefit 4: Empathy

A few years back, I played the challenging role of Lady Macbeth. The director asked us to describe our character in one word. I forgot what I said exactly but, I remember the word I chose to describe her was a negative one. It could have been manipulative / dominant / weak / controlling / hypocritical etc. That got me in trouble!

I remember the director explaining that, as an actress, I should never judge a character because, if I judge them before I play them on stage, I am never giving them a chance to tell their story from a fair and unbiased point of view. Boy, was he right! This brings me to my next benefit: Empathy.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. In Drama, Empathy is key! It’s everything! It’s what Acting is all about! In my lessons, I encourage my students to play different characters, understand their story, the subtext, and live in their situations, conflicts, and traditions! By playing these characters, children can understand that, deep down, we are all human beings with feelings and emotions, where we laugh when we hear a joke, cry when a family member dies, and get frustrated when Sainsbury’s reduced-price shelf is empty. But, this is what teaches children how to tolerate people from different backgrounds. It teaches them compassion and gives them a healthier perception of others with no judgment.

Benefit 5: Communication Skills

People think that actors act. Nothing more, nothing less! But the truth is that actors are storytellers! This is done through excellent communication skills!

This is an obvious one but still worth mentioning. Through role play and scripts, children learn how to communicate with each other, how to process thoughts in their heads, come up with ways to handle conflict within a scenario and so much more. Furthermore, it also improves the vocal aspect of communication where they get to experiment with vocal projection (you have no idea how many times I had to explain to them that this does not mean shouting!), tone, expression, articulation, diction, speed, and delivery. This also goes hand in hand with listening skills where children get to vocally express themselves and listen to what the other student has to say.

Drama boosts the communication skills of most students however I feel that SEN students, who often struggle to express themselves, are the ones who can benefit the most. It encourages expression through games and play without them realising they're learning. Do you remember that girl I mentioned in my first blog post who had selective mutism and still managed to perform her lines in front of an audience? There, I rest my case!

Benefit 6: Teamwork, Collaboration & Friendship

No theatre happens in isolation. For that magic to happen on stage, you need a strong team who is willing to communicate, sacrifice and work together to turn ideas into projects. During my lessons, I frequently put students in either pairs or small groups to work on improvisations together. This invites them to feed on each other's thoughts, share ideas and come up with a solution for their given conflict. Collaboration is a skill that needs training, especially for those students who find it challenging to include others or those who feel easily distracted when not working alone.

Nowadays, teamwork is a skill that needs to be mentioned in every single CV you send in. It's a transferable skill used for uni projects, work presentations, and, if you think about it, in any scenario where you’re not working by yourself. And, of course, teamwork introduces new friendships (hip hip, hooray!) Children bond very quickly with each other and theatre gives them that push to start those first conversations and support each other.

Other benefits include:

• Co-operation - This happens when teamwork and creative ideas meet in a warm environment!

• Concentration - Drama is a craft that requires concentration and self-discipline. I have a long list of concentration exercises and, as a teacher, I love their panicked faces when games get more intense.

• Physical Fitness - Students exercise their stamina, coordination, and breathing.

• Memory Skills - Scripts and muscle memory! Need I say more?

• Fun - Students play, relieve stress, and boost inner motivation whilst teaching them relaxation techniques.

I didn't plan to write this much for my second blog post but, trust me, the list is endless. Believe me when I say that Drama is a miracle worker and having witnessed these miracles I can honestly say that it works! I am always available to speak to you if you want my advice. Feel free to drop me a message and I’d be happy to chat with you and discover "dramatic" ways how we can help your child together!

See you later folks!

E x