Theatre and Education – August 28, 2011

Pitso Mompe* reports on this skills workshop.

The workshop on Theatre and Education emphasised that theatre is very important in society because it helps people to overcome their day to day challenges. The theatre enables people learn to relax their minds and bodies, and provides a safe place to discuss things that affect everyone.

In her presentation the facilitator, Manya Gittel, told the delegates that theatre is not about being famous but about learning and understanding from each other. It is where people practice, learn and rehearse, so that they can deal with the challenges. Theatre teaches people to share their views with each other, and to understand others. It helps to relieve people of their stresses through open discussions and rehearsing. Basically, theatre is about changing the situation to improve our lives. It is not only about talking but doing things like looking, listening and feeling. This includes taking pictures, choosing stories and performing plays. Theatre is also about people working together for change, and it shows how people can think differently about the same problem. Theatre helps to identify ones abilities and capabilities.