Human beings are innate storytellers. As I write this on a busy rush-hour train, I’m surrounded by stories. Three schoolchildren giggle, recounting their first week back at school, each one interrupting the other to clarify the latest gossip. The man behind me anxiously rehearses for his job interview tomorrow. Meanwhile, a toddler passionately shares a wonderful, if illegible, tale with their bemused mother. If theatre is about telling stories through voice, movement, and expression, then every day we’re surrounded by it. As the big man said, all the world really is a stage.
Yet despite being so natural to us, theatre—or live storytelling—remains undervalued in the school curriculum. Music is compulsory for all students aged 4 to 14, and practical dance lessons, incorporated into PE, are mandatory. However, drama as a practical subject is non-compulsory, meaning students could go through their entire education without a single practical drama class. While drama does appear in the curriculum, it’s mostly studied at a desk, focusing on literary analysis rather than live performance. In essence, we study the scripts but ignore the stage.
Theatre isn’t just a form of entertainment; it’s a vital educational tool. Early human societies used performance to tell stories, share knowledge, and strengthen communal bonds. Today, theatre is often employed in prisons, rehabilitation centres, and therapy programmes to help people process trauma, develop empathy, and rebuild a sense of community.
Theatre can transform lives—take Michel Belogan, who, while in prison, started working in the hospitality section at RADA, only to fall in love with theatre, train there, and now enjoy a successful career. His story illustrates the power of access; theatre is transformative when given the chance to flourish. But it’s not just individuals who benefit—communities as a whole are enriched through the shared experience of live performance. In an age of individualism, a good play often brings together the voices of individuals and shows how they sit within a community. The act of watching a production together fosters a shared experience, leading to greater empathy and creating discourse and reflection among audiences.
Research shows that participating in live theatre enhances communication, social awareness, and creativity. Theatre has also often walked hand in hand with social change. Consider the work of Bertolt Brecht or, today, the Belarus Free Theatre, which uses performance as a tool for social revolution. Participants and audience members risk their safety to attend shows. As Lyn Gardner wrote in The Guardian in 2016, “Any kind of street-level protest…, is effectively a form of theatre.” Yet while theatre can inspire change and reflect society’s struggles, its impact is limited.
Only 14% of Brits visit the theatre more than twice a year. Why is this? It’s clearly not a disinterest in stories—consider how much time we spend watching TV dramas or reading novels, both fiction and non-fiction (3 hours and 12 minutes per day on average). Often, the high cost of theatre tickets is blamed, but look at how quickly tickets for Oasis, Taylor Swift, and Glastonbury sell out despite their staggering prices.
Perhaps it comes down to accessibility. Music and dance are consistently at our fingertips—how do we spend our Friday nights if not at parties, clubs, or bars? Dancing and singing are part of the routine. But theatre often feels more elusive, something you have to seek out in formal spaces.
In my mind, this, at least in part, stems from how drama is taught in schools. If students mostly experience their theatrical education sitting at a desk, reading and analysing text without any practical exploration, how can we expect them to fully appreciate it as a practical art form? If there is no access to hands-on learning of the craft, we risk young people viewing theatre as a magical talent that only a few possess, rather than a skill that can be learned, or something that is only created for and by the privileged few. A child in a state school might never have a single practical drama class, while private schools often provide extensive theatrical opportunities and facilities that are comparable to those of professional drama schools and conservatories.
This is not only about offering young people equal opportunities to enter the arts, but also about allowing them to appreciate theatre and reap the benefits from it. If we know that theatre has the power to change lives in prisons and rehabilitation centres, why wouldn’t we integrate these tools earlier in life? Sidelining practical drama in education deprives students of one of the oldest and most effective methods of learning. Imagine the impact if we taught young people the emotional resilience, communication skills, and sense of community that theatre fosters from the start. Not only might these lessons help prevent many of the issues we later try to remedy through intervention, but they could also create a society of more well-rounded individuals capable of empathy, collaboration, and creative thinking.
Anyway, there’s my Saturday afternoon 50 cents. I’m off to the theatre.
I’ve attached some links to interesting books and articles on the subject so you can get some real expert opinions too.
(Bridget Phillipson, if you’ve somehow found yourself on this page in the middle of a long night of weird internet searches—we’ve all been there, don’t worry—I look forward to your announcement of a new policy prioritising drama in all state schools.)
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