Theatre Pedagogy,in the form of dramatic play, aims at incorporating two related forms of training - school and theatre.
Dramatic play is an act of joy, creativity and communication.
It is a collective activity in which a group of children and one adult (animator Karmen Rouggeri) take part together.
For children,theatre is a complex process it is social and deeply educational, touching upon the primordial need of human beings for action, variety and visibility to the world.
Dramatic play engages children's need to re-enact and reconstruct the reality around them. It is a means of energising,of giving free rein to the imagination, of raising awareness and externalising feelings and of cultivating psycho-motor expression.
Children can enact their own needs in a familiar way through play. Through play, children can think, work, rest, remember, test their strengths, concentrate and create. In a word they experience life..
The roots of both play and the art itself are ancient. Many times they are one and the same, and are very rarely separate.
By 'playing', humans evolved into creating art; by 'playing', they discovered knowledge. The children play, create, express themselves and communicate through theatre.Dramatic play is a method of teaching, a way to develop the spiritual and artistic aspect of the child.By playing a role, children are free to bring to life their young and complicated inner self.
The soul of dramatic play is the animator.
The animator inspires the group with his or her attitude, feeling and behaviour and provides a sense of security and incentive, helping the participants to find release and to work collectively. The animator engages in dramatic play with the children.
Aims of Theatre Pedagogy:
a. The children transform their relationship with themselves
b. The children develop a different connection to their body
c. The children transform their relationship with others
d. The children are made more aware of the arts
e. Knowledge becomes experience
f. The children explore the inner self
The form and structure of integrated dramatic play consists of four phases and involves four key levels, just like the theatrical act:
a. Psychological,
b. Social,
c. Aesthetic , Educational
The main techniques used to develop and process dramatic pay are:
- Breathing and voice exercises
- Relaxation and concentration activities
- Bodily expression - Kinesiology
- Group improvisation:
- exploration and discovery based on children's experiences
- utilising random events
- Dramatisation of stories or school subjects
- Use of educational and entertaining toys
- Establishing a field of action and use of the entire space
- Sound and music - Visual stimuli
- Pantomime - Puppet shows
- The children design, plan and assess their work.
Dramatic play can be done anywhere. However, the school is ideal, as it serves as the core of a child's life for many years. The children are the same age and the participants of a group remain the same; the experiences they share in the same space may also serve as a source of inspiration.
They attend noteworthy children's theatre performances adapted to their age and regularly take part in annual Christmas and farewell celebrations, as well as in theatrical events staged either by the school or in cooperation with other organisations.
