Theatre in education: dawn of new era

With its various facets being revealed over the years, theatre has undergone drastic changes. The emergence of theatre as one of the most expressive, reformative and stable forms of art, has helped it to get rid of its old ‘scarce form of art’ tag. From the creation of amateur to professional theatre groups to theatre playing an important role in carving out the acting careers of numerous artists from Bollywood to Hollywood, the transition is evident. 

Now tables have turned and the stance associated with theatre has come a long way from ‘education through theatre’ to ‘theatre in education’ with theatre gradually finding its way into the extra curriculum of schools and colleges. Emphasising on the role theatre plays today, Shivani, a DU alumnus and a member of a renowned theatre group in Delhi, said: “Keeping in mind the present scenario, I’d say that theatre is very helpful in shaping the minds and mindset of people especially the youth. It helps one to think beyond a certain point as through theatre one not only gets to broach a subject but it also gives one the confidence to face the world with a different perspective.”

When asked what is the difference between performing in college and being a part of a professional theatre group, she further said: “Well while I was in college I not only used to take part in various drama, street play competitions but I even used to train my juniors and single-handedly managed productions, become the playwright and manage numerous other things as we didn’t get much support from our teachers. So when I joined the professional theatre group, this hands-on experience and the knowledge of stagecraft gave me an edge over everyone else.”

While theatre is considered as the first stage of acting and if we go by what experts say then it is to be believed that if one needs to pursue acting as a career or polish his acting skills, the best way is to join theatre but nowadays this concept has seemed to change along with time. Earlier people used to join theatre as acting was a priority but now it is merely a shortcut to becoming a “hero” and no one is interested in becoming an actor! Commenting on the same, Vivek Tyagi, a 2nd year student of Swami Shraddhanand College, Delhi University said: “Nowadays the concept of street theatre is prevalent especially in DU and people tend to confuse that with actual theatre, however it is only a form of theatre. Also people are actually deviating from the original concept of theatre.  They just consider theatre a mode of getting into mainstream cinema and become stars but they forget that what theatre does is to hone the acting skills in an individual.” The problem is that even if small theatre groups, comprising college students, are making an effort to popularise theatre among the general populace and make people understand the real importance of theatre, they are not being supported, neither by colleges nor by external sources. The students actually have to make tiresome efforts to convince college administrations or production houses to pitch in their plays.

“I was compelled to start my own theatre group in college as I was not accepted in the existing college theatre group just because I suggested some changes and was trying to bring the dysfunctional group back in action. I went for support from the seniors but came back empty handed, which then led me to create my own group. Slowly the progress it made, made my juniors interested and also brought back the support I had expected from the cultural society of my college, which is a great achievement for me,” said Vivek.

Pressing on the need for introducing ‘theatre in education’ through courses in schools and colleges, Vivek further added: “Theatre should not only be a part of extra curriculum but it should also be a part of curriculum in schools and colleges. Theatre courses should be introduced at the UG level for those who want to pursue it. With a little support from the college administration, students like me who want a career in theatre, can immensely benefit in the near future.”