THE National Drama Festival just concluded on Friday night after thrilling audiences, many of whom included children, with wonderful and sometimes out-worldly performances. One of the actors who played in multiple productions during the just concluded festival referred to the “theatre arts” as a dying art form. It is not difficult to see why this genre of performance would be seen that way, because even though most of the performances were free, the attendance was poor.

So what are the benefits of drama and why should we even bother to keep it alive? Drama has the following benefits for children… and adults
Most children don’t have a lot of confidence when they start off. They’re a bit shy, and this includes some of the most confident adults in the world today. They may be outgoing when they are in a familiar environment, but as soon as they venture out of that safe and familiar environment, their confidence seems to evaporate. Children who are involved in drama quickly expand their comfort zone owing to the many roles they are required to play. And because they are required to perform in front of an audience, they quickly lose their fear of speaking and performing in front of people.
However, drama not only builds the confidence of children, it also builds the confidence of adults. So those adults who never had a chance to do drama when they were children can still sign up for a drama class at their age, and build their confidence. Results of numerous surveys in the United States and other countries have consistently shown the fear of speaking in public as the greatest fear for many people. Some even rated it higher than the fear of death. This fear can easily be overcome by doing drama.
Drama requires children to not only learn their lines, but they also need to know when to do what, in what way, and what to say. All of this builds concentration. In every session children are encouraged to listen to each other’s ideas and thoughts and to take turns. These activities allow children to recognise the value of concentration; a skill that is vital in the world outside their homes.

Learning new songs, playing new games and participating in pretend play (when children must take on the language of the role they are playing) all contribute to a child’s developing vocabulary. They are encouraged to express themselves both verbally and through facial expressions and body language, which is key to making them better and more effective communicators.
Again, this is not just for children. It is said that communication is the most important skill that someone can have, but most adults have never learned to properly communicate, which often leads to misunderstandings and violence. By becoming involved in drama, they can overcome this deficiency and become proper communicators and take their careers and their lives to another level.
Drama, from playing drama games to improvisation to singing together, requires co-operation. Children quickly realise that in order to get the best out of sessions, co-operation is a much needed skill which, when they become adults, become valuable, especially in their careers where they are expected to cooperate with their co-workers for the benefit of the company!
Drama classes may explore a range of different themes and introduce children to different real and imaginary situations, sparking their interest in the world in which they live and making them more inquisitive (and therefore more interesting) little people, who will become more interesting adults when they grow up.
Drama may require actors to jump, dance, sing or lift up a fellow actor. All of these physical activities help with hand-eye coordination, as well as aid in muscle development, which helps children and adults gain mastery over their own bodies.
Drama often requires you to “act out” a scene which doesn’t yet physically exist. This develops the imagination of the child as well as the adult, which is very important because it helps us consider new possibilities, and come up with solutions.
By its very nature, drama helps people, both children and adults, to easily talk to others as they no longer have the fear that most people walk around with. For example, when considering talking to someone new, most people have thoughts like, “what if they don’t like me.” And because of this their relationships suffer.
Results of a University of California study showed that students involved in the arts tend to have higher academic performance and better standardised test scores — nearly 100 points better on the SAT, according to a separate study by The College Board.
Good oratorical skills are some of the benefits that come with learning drama, because the actor is required to project his voice and to speak words clearly, and in a certain way, depending on what the script calls for. And finally…
A production is a lot of work, which requires that children attend lots of rehearsals. This teaches them the value of time. If they’re not there on time, the production cannot start on time. If they are not doing their part, then others will have to sacrifice or change something to accommodate their failure. This teaches discipline and brings out a sense of responsibility. Because you know that others depend on you, you can’t just “not show up.”