“There is a tide in the affairs of nations, as of men, which taken at the full leads to effective general advancement.”

INTRODUCTION

At the gracious invitation of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, Government of Kuwait, I visited this hospitable country in December 1976 in order to study the cultural situation particularly in relation to educational institutions and to formulate proposals for the creation of a Children's Theatre Movement and for the fostering of cultural activities as a whole.

To my mind it was important to have an integrated concept of cultural development first of all, and then to set down specific proposals for the implementation of practical schemes which form part of the over-all concept. The most vivid way of doing this was through an Audio-Visual Programme. Accordingly this programme which was entitled TOWARDS AN ARAB CULTURAL RENAISSANCE was presented before an invited audience on December 1976 at the Institute of Engineers, Kuwait. The spoken commentary which formed only one part of the programme was published by some local newspapers a few days later. It is also incorporated in this report.

This note begins with the commentary in order to clarify the over-all concept regarding cultural development as a whole. It then goes on to discuss what is meant by EDUCATION THROUGH DRAMA, giving a concrete example of such an experience in an educational institution. It proceeds then to outline two types of proposed activity:

a) Dramatic work to be done by the children themselves b) Theatre for Children by Adults

Further it spells out the need for the setting up of Theatre, Mime and Dance Groups which would not only be a reflection of awakened Kuwaiti culture, but also provide the cultural environment without which any type of drama activity in educational institutions would be a meaningless exercise. After all, any work in schools must relate to a living, active and purposeful cultural milieu.

Finally, this note gives a skeletal outline of the function of a proposed Audio-Visual Centre.

There is a tide in the affairs of nations, as of men, which taken at the full leads to effective general advancement. I have no doubt that the government of this great nation which has shown such wisdom, magnanimity and practical initiative in the implementation of programmes for the material and moral welfare of its people, will appreciate the urgent need for the fulfillment of its cultural aspirations.

I should like to thank H.E. the Minister for Education Mr. Ahmed Al-Adwani, Director of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, Mr. Ibrahim Matruch, Mr. Sulaiman Alogaiyan, and Miss Najat Sultan for their keen interest and enthusiasm.

DRAMATICS should be an integral part of the educational system, and not regarded merely as a hobby or a recreational activity. DRAMATICS should be taught in school and not considered only as training in elocution, dancing, music, singing, and so on. What do we mean by THE DRAMATIC APPROACH?

By this we mean that the subject, any subject, is explored by the class as a whole; it does not become a case of individual achievement or excellence, but of collective investigation and discovery. Every student makes his contribution in his own way - some through the intellectual process, some through emotional expression, some through practical action. By means of this approach there is less likelihood of backward stragglers who hold back the class as a result of which they acquire an inferiority complex. Each student contributes according to his ability and in conformity with his own temperament and personality.

All human beings, and children in particular, have an inherent capacity for and need of drama. Every aspect of human activity, from the small domestic family scene to events of international political magnitude, is imbued with drama. Life in the streets, in homes, offices, on the high seas, or in interstellar spaces, or as projected in the newspapers or the other mass media, is inescapably dramatic. Children, particularly, uninhibitedly express themselves in dramatic terms. They instinctively dramatise all situations they find themselves in at home, on the playing field, in the classroom, in their games, their song and dance, in the pursuit of their hobbies, their paintings, their mimicry, their yearning for adventure and suspense, in the colourful world of their imagination, in their daydreams, in the zest, passion, excitement and energy of their collective games.

Besides, the child tends to dramatise his relationship with his parents, his brothers and sisters, his fellow students and his teachers. To each he assigns a role - hero, villain, clown or chorus. In every situation he sees himself as the central character, and he evolves a series of changing dramatic relationships with his environment. Even the inanimate becomes alive, endowed with a distinctive personality. Therefore it is through the DRAMATIC APPROACH that one can best establish communication with the child.

THE DRAMATIC APPROACH precludes a community or a collective. You cannot have a play with a single character, and in the rare event of such a play, the character is invariably a combination of conflicting selves. THE DRAMATIC APPROACH therefore fosters a healthy, constructive relationship between the child and those around him, and enables him to see himself in a social content, among others like him with similar problems and of equal importance.

It helps develop in the child a sense of collective responsibility and of identification with issues beyond those of his personal whim and fancy. In this way it prepares a child for the adult life with the community where, even more than his rights, he is aware of his responsibilities.

THE DRAMATIC APPROACH encourages the team spirit, the sharing of tasks, working towards a common goal. It calls for mutual adjustment and co-operation in the service of the general welfare.

This approach also gives opportunity for the expression of the full potential of the child, of his total personality, instead of emphasizing one particular facet which may reflect his aptitude.

By giving expression to the subjective elements with the child, it helps him become more rational, balanced and objective. In this sense it is therapeutic and cathartic. It enables the child to face a whole range of problems from the simple and pragmatic to the more complex and subtle moral issues.

It enables the child to understand the ramifications of the problems involved and their true dimensions. In this way it gives him a sense of perspective and of scale, and helps him to see factors in their interacting contexts rather than as independent, self-contained elements.

It stimulates the child's imagination and makes him aware of the world of abstract ideas and the sense of adventure in the stimulation, the excitement,

THE DRAMATIC APPROACH is a historical approach: it sees events as a continual process of evolution rather than as static phenomena. It encourages the child therefore to think in terms of the changing landscape of ideas, rather than as static, preordained, unquestionable truths.

DRAMA is exploration and quest. Accordingly, it develops the capacity of the student to enquire, to doubt, to question, to investigate and to arrive at certain conclusions. These various stages of exploration help develop a curious, scientific temper.

THE DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE is always shared with an audience. It emphasizes the social function, validity and relevance of such activity. It makes the child aware of his social responsibility. No experience is meaningful unless it is shared.

EDUCATION THROUGH DRAMA makes vivid unforgettable impressions on the child's mind. Such impressions form his emotional memory which becomes the most significant repository of his knowledge of life.

The importance of drama in the flowering of the child's personality is too obvious to need emphasis. However the manner in which it brings this about is crucial from the point of view of education:

a) it releases the personality, ridding it of constraints and inhibitions, making it free, relaxed and self-expressive;

b) it makes the child articulate; enables him to project his ideas rationally and coherently through speech and action; it makes him conscious of the significance and power of the spoken word;

c) it provides an expressive outlet for the child's energy, channeling it into purposeful, creative action involving his colleagues;

d) it stimulates the child's imagination, translating ideas into action;

e) it co-ordinates the physical, intellectual and emotional resources of the child and fuses them into passionate activity;

f) it demands from the child to venture, explore and rationalise, shaping his findings into an acceptable scheme of ideas which he communicates to his audience;

g) drama implies transformation and change, the recognition of new truths, bringing deeper awareness and maturity. It can be a profound, significant experience for the child involved in it;

h) transformation and change are tokens of the dynamic nature of man and society. In that sense drama is optimistic and forward-looking, rather than pessimistic, static and reactionary.

i) maturity implies seasoned organic growth. Drama enriches the wellsprings of the child's creative personality.

EDUCATION THROUGH DRAMA should of course be related to the various stages of school education: the Kindergarten, Primary, Intermediate, Secondary and University stages.

It should be possible in the course of a few years to train specialists in this field who would be able to "dramatise" education, as it were, in the best, and not in the crudely theatrical sense of the term. These specialists would work in collaboration with the usual teaching staff and provide "education through drama" in such a way that it becomes an integral and inseparable part of the scholastic system.

The Humanities and the Social Sciences could be "dramatised" to dramatise Science and mathematics easily lend themselves to dramatization. Science and mathematics could be "dramatised" through the audio-visual media, and provide a new dimension to the task of teaching. These new techniques would familiarize the student with the world of advanced technology which surrounds him but into which he has not been intellectually or emotionally integrated.

The dizzying pace of modern technology poses constant inescapable challenges to educational methods. Teachers strive to teach through systems by which they themselves have been trained, frequently to discover that that system is outdated or obsolete. The younger generation discovers its own shortcuts to knowledge. It absorbs at an astonishing rate and is able to evolve its own forms of perception. It should accordingly be encouraged to discover its own way of schooling itself.

MAN THROUGH THE AGES

A practical example of EDUCATION THROUGH DRAMA

Participants: an entire school of 600 students the entire teaching staff of 40 persons

The programme was divided into 18 sequences as shown in the chart below. Each class was designated one particular sequence, the teacher of that class being responsible for the research and documentation of the sequence. In this the whole class was involved. For example, in SEQUENCE 2: MAN IN THE STONE AGE, a group of students studied the hunting techniques of primitive man, another group investigated the family and social life in the caves, a third group studied the primitive cave drawings of Lascaux and Altamira, a fourth the discovery of fire, a fifth the domestication of animals and so on. Each topic was fully documented with written material as well as with drawings, charts and illustrations. These topics became the subjects for discussion in small seminars within the class-room. From these a basic script emerged as well as ideas as to the best manner of presenting the topics on stage: through dance or ballet, or a dramatic scene or narrative with slides or a tableau vivant, etc.

The designs for the costumes and stage settings also slowly evolved. The various art teachers, in addition, supervised the guidance of the students in the preparation of exhibitions of their note-books and format crystallised into an EXHIBITION under the guidance of the various art teachers. In addition, scores of illustrated note-books were tokens of the exhaustive research undertaken by the students, and their inventiveness, originality and imagination in presenting ideas through visual terms.

Each student contributed in a manner befitting his talent and aptitude: through writing, or illustration, or designing costumes or settings, through playing musical instruments, or through actual performance. Every student was thus totally and creatively involved in the project.

The teachers then got together under the supervision of the Principal, and established the links between the various sequences. The over-all pattern and dramatic structure was determined. The sequences were linked together by a commentary. An eminent composer provided the musical score.

For three hours a day over a period of 6 weeks went on this work. The programme was presented before the public with great success. An audio-visual programme based on this project sold more than 2000 copies to schools all over the country within a few months. The programme was considered a landmark in educational techniques.

This approach can be applied to any topic in the field of education. It leaves an indelible impression on the young mind because of the thoroughness of its approach on the one hand and the imaginative treatment on the other. Its potentialities are inexhaustible.

NOTE: The above transcription is an excerpt of the letter, the full text can be read in the images to the left of the transcription.

“THE DRAMATIC APPROACH is a historical approach: it sees events as a continual process of evolution rather than as static phenomena.”