All the World's a Stage: Theatre as a Classroom, the Classroom as a Theatre

"You want to instruct or else to delight; Or, better still, to delight and instruct at the same time.” - Horace

Theatre has stood the test of time. Dating back to beyond the 8th Century, vibrant traditions of theatre have flourished across cultures, instructing and delighting audiences along its path. Shakespeare’s plays continue to exude relevance in today’s world, and smash-hit Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda) took the world by storm while teaching U.S History to kids. 

This term, a group of high school students are exploring the complexities and nuances that theatre can bring to their education. I am fortunate to have a front-row-seat to the show as one of their teachers. Having explored notions of war and conflict, students are tasked with translating poems to songs, songs to narrative, and narrative to musical that they will perform as a group.  What has struck me throughout this process of planning and teaching is the direct impact that theatre has on student lives, not only for their learning journey but their wellbeing too. A commissioned study completed by the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) found that 94% of participants reported positive impacts on their overall wellbeing and 89% reported positive impacts on their confidence. 

Teaching through the lens of theatre favours autonomous learning, deep understanding and oral and physical expression. Ultimately, it focuses on trying on different roles, viewing life from another’s perspective and challenging our own perspectives of what is, and what is not. Part of a student’s journey through high school is figuring out who they are, trying on different roles and coming out the other side more cognisant of their inner self. As theatre shifts the focus from the teacher onto the student, a safe space unfolds where vulnerabilities are left at the door and students have an opportunity to explore themselves. 

Not only do students have the opportunity to explore who they are through theatre, but the atmosphere for inspiration is born as a thread of connection forms. Playwrights connect their words with the stories they want to tell, actions connect with each other while also connecting to the story, script and vision, and that in turn, connects with an audience to present the story and characters. Ultimately, for theatre to work, all participants and components must work together, listening to and giving voice to each other to create the fullest experience for all. Throughout this complex maze of connection in the classroom, we are seeing theatre bringing students together to build collaboration, cooperation, break down stereotypes, generate empathy and overall, greater cohesion and camaraderie of the whole class. 

Perhaps most importantly, we are looking to engage students’ whole worlds in their learning process, both at school and outside the classroom. For engagement to reach its full potential, relevance and action must be present. Philosopher John Dewey presents this case simply; “Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.” 

Theatre naturally expels traditional notions of education, such as memorisation and teacher-centred learning, and instead expects students to do, to lead, and to instruct. Providing the space for students to use their imagination to relate the reality they are familiar with enhances student capacity to apply newly acquired skills and knowledge to real-life situations, and the ability to become self-directed learners. 

Teaching and learning through theatre and drama is highly accessible to people of all ages, from all walks of life. After all, isn’t life just a series of performances? A short list of resources is below for those interested in further exploring.

Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation

EDB and British Council Hong Kong: Teaching English through Drama

Creative Drama 

Hong Kong Arts Development Council

“Tell me, and I’ll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand.”