My last outing on Cif was an interesting affair in which I tried vainly to convince readers of the importance of humanities subjects in schools. I was accused, wrongly as it happens, of suggesting that Shakespeare was of a greater importance than maths in general. I don't, of course, really believe that to be the case but the episode did throw up a most relevant issue: where exactly do theatre studies as a whole come into education?
To me it was the most valuable part of my education and one of the only lessons I took that seemed to be genuinely worthwhile but there are many that don't have the opportunity to experience it. English, maths, science and religious education are all compulsory, forced upon students whether they like it or not but the study of theatre is always left to one side, considered as the poorer cousin of these "respectable" subjects.
Before GCSE, drama is not really seen as a subject in its own right at all. Rather, it is paired off with English as a sort of bolt-on to what is considered the superior subject and those who do not opt for it may never even encounter our most important art form. The only contact most schoolchildren have with theatre is a dry, lifeless reading of Hamlet or Macbeth in their English classes. Don't get me wrong, I don't think reading Shakespeare is necessarily a bad thing but, in the end, plays are written to be played.
To read Hamlet is the equivalent of tasting the Eroica symphony: it just doesn't work. The genius and poetry of Shakespeare is in his spoken words and how they brilliantly encapsulate the inner being of his characters. To fully understand the purpose and reasoning behind the technicalities of his verse you must act the lines, you must feel what Hamlet feels. The script, as viewed on the page today, is barely comprehensible, archaic drivel, but when read out loud his words take on a life of their own as the punctuation marks and grammar indicate where to pause and when and how to speak.
Each twist and turn of the syntax, every nuance of his language, piece together to form complete human beings hiding within the pages. As the reader begins to understand the play better they in turn begin to understand the complexity of the character's thoughts and all the turmoil within. This exploration of the human mind is a fantastic way to begin to understand how both you and others work. As an actor struggles to find depth in a character they must consider how human beings react to the world around them and force themselves to be in another's shoes, to consider a different point of view.
Theatre has been at the forefront of civilisation since ancient times. It is always a vehicle for change; its influence reaches from the top of our societies right down to the very roots. Theatre transcends all boundaries, anyone can watch and understand on one level or another, any message can be communicated with immense power with just a few well-chosen lines. It is for this reason that theatre is always stamped down hardest upon by dictatorial regimes and for this reason also that its freedom is defended so vociferously.
Theatre has always been utilised for expressing our beliefs, our hopes and our dreams. This is another advantage in schools where it is imperative that pupils investigate the world around them and their place in it. Through drama, many important and complicated issues can be addressed in a way that is both informative and approachable. The work of Brecht could be used to gain a greater understanding of life in Nazi Germany; Miller's The Crucible might help to expand thoughts on personal freedom; even improvisation could allow an issue personally affecting students to be brought into the open. I'm sure you'll agree this is an invaluable tool in a place where people spend their formative years.
I realise that not everyone is going to be brought round to the idea of compulsory drama lessons. Unfortunately many still see it as a "doss subject", after all what use is drama when it is time to consider a career? Well, for a start drama encourages better communication, speech, confidence and it also teaches people to cooperate and work together as a team. These are all invaluable skills to have anywhere in any job, skills that will stay with you for life. Drama is basically the study of humanity, society and all that this encompasses - what more important a subject is there?
It doesn't even have to end simply with performing in a studio at school. There is a whole world of performance out there and a million and one ways to get involved. Watching a play can be just as important and taxing as acting and we can learn an awful lot through this. An audience member is not merely a spectator, they are complicit in the act. Without the communion between audience and players there is no theatre. Peter Brook, a former director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, sums this up best in the opening lines of his seminal work The Empty Space:
"I can take an empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged."
That is theatre - the act of performance, of watching and engaging, anywhere, anytime, by anyone and it is something everybody is capable of.
No one should be denied the experience of expressing themselves in front of others and in turn allowing those others to do the same. This is the fundamental basis of civilised society. I think drama should be a compulsory part of life for everyone, but for a start I'll settle for getting it on the national curriculum.
