Theatre in Education started as a separate art form and educational activity in Coventry at the Belgrade Theatre in 1965. A group consisting of actors, teachers and social workers were brought together to create a community outreach team.
The outreach team created a project called, Pow Wow who took a group of children and first introduced them to an actor playing a Cowboy. Later the children were introduced to an actor playing an Indian kept in a cage as a prisoner by the Cowboy. The children were given information about both characters and their opposing views in the situation and given the choice of whether or not to free the Indian. The project had successfully merged theatre and education for the first time.
Theatre in Education has progressed from this point and although it differs from its original form its primary aim is to use theatre and drama to create a wide range of learning opportunities across the whole curriculum. TIE companies will take a particular curriculum subject or topic and build a show or workshop around it.
Theatre in education works on a fundamental level because it is interactive. All the shows Act On Info produce, even the ones to larger groups, involve audience participation on some level and this encourages an emotional connection to the work, making it more memorable. As well as learning about subjects and issues through drama by participating the pupils are also developing other social and interactive skills such as communication, public speaking, negotiation, awareness of themselves and others, teamwork, improved concentration, and self confidence.
“One of the most memorable workshops we ever did was an anti-bullying workshop with a Yr 5 class. One small boy stayed silent at first but during the hot seating he joined in heartily. He even got up and played one of the roles, brilliantly defending the ‘victim’. His teacher was amazed and afterwards we learned the pupil had not spoken in class since his mum had passed away six weeks earlier. It was fantastic knowing that the workshop had not only taught about the subject of bullying, but that it had brought about such a powerful change in one individual’s life.”
Alison – Act On Info Facilitator
Because we specialise in educational work our performances have been designed with the curriculum in mind and are always tailored to what is appropriate for a particular Key Stage.
There are many good theatre in education companies around today providing fantastic drama workshops for schools, please make sure when you book a company that they or any individual facilitator they use has full public liability insurance and a current CRB or police check.
