CRI听力:Theatre in education becomes in focus

Experts say drama studies offer a learning avenue that can enhance the curriculum. However, there are questions as to how to use drama to its full benefit in the education system.

Theatre-makers around the world have recently contributed their experiences and proposals.

Our reporter Shen Ting takes a closer look.

Zhang Yan is a children's drama director. She is known for adapting Shakespeare's famous play King Lear for young Chinese audiences. She recently shared her observations.

"I just returned from Paris, feeling pleasantly astonished by its deep cultural roots. However, I met a 24-year old local girl at Disneyland Park there. She is more familiar with each of the Disney characters than those prominent figures in French history and culture. We have no right to blame but feel pitiful. After all, France is known all over the world for its rich culture. China is the same as France as one of the world's best-known cultures. However, modern-day youngsters worldwide ignore their cultures."
 

She says that teaching drama on campus may help spread and carry forward the traditional culture among school children. For example, many school children in Beijing have been watching their theatrical adaptations of stories based on a series of Chinese idioms. Through this, she says these young students may better understand the Chinese culture.

Children and teens are not just audience members. They can also take their place on the stage.

Renowned Teacher Liu Tianchi with the Chinese Central Academy of Drama says more and more school plays are written especially for elementary and primary school teachers to direct, and large casts of students to perform.

"This year, some primary and middle schools extended invitations that our teachers might help in creating plays, which I think is a good trend. Schools, which used to be occupied with math contests, began to realize the power of theatre in school education. It hopefully demonstrates that drama is playing a lot more important part in the modern Chinese society."

Sometimes, the educational system and artistic needs are felt to be working in opposite ways.

The educational system wants to give knowledge and the arts need experimentation and freedom for the new thinking. But according to Stefan Fischer-Fels, an experienced theatre-maker in Germany, theatre education may not only reinvigorate cultural traditions but also relate to taboo issues.

"Of course, we have the fairy tales from Brother Grimm that you all know that are in the repertoire of many theatres. And we try always to find the contents of what it does mean today. It's not only telling these old stories, but how can we interpret it that it has really relevant meaning for the children of today. We have support also from many, many teachers and the educational system, trying to talk about difficult issues, and taboos, for example, a youth play about homosexuality for youngsters. Maybe not for the very small but for youngsters; it's absolutely possible; it's not forbidden and schools appreciate that."

Besides Germany, many European nations are engaging teenagers in theatre and have obtained successful experiences.

Naja Birke is a tutor with Teatercentrum, or "Theatre Center", an institution under the Danish Ministry of Culture, and explains how her country has formed partnerships with countries including Italy, Norway and Portugal, exploring the best performing arts for young audiences through a project.

"The Teen Project, TEEN is short for Theatre European Engagement Network. We are trying to give young people across Europe the new methods to engage in theatre and stage art. And we're using theatre criticism as a tool to find new methods to get them engaged and they've been writing critiques and they've been also making videos and sending it back to the theatre producers, having dialogue with theatre producers about the shows they've seen."

The TEEN project enables culture professionals to set up a new strategy and tools to develop the performing arts sector for audiences aged 10 to 19.

Earlier, theatre makers around the world gathered in Beijing for a children's theatre festival. They also held discussions on the possible influence that western and eastern cultures might have on children and teenagers' choices of what plays they might prefer to watch