Ever wondered about the benefits of participation in Dramatic Art? Elizabeth Scott describes them in the following article, which was published in The Canberra Times opinion page on January 18, 2010.
Finding the lost art of the bard
by Elizabeth Scott
Published in The Canberra Times, January 18, 2010.
We were sitting down on the couch, about to watch her favourite show together, when my 10-year-old daughter asked me, “What did people do in the evenings before television was invented?” Well, I replied, before television, people used to listen to the wireless, or play card games, or go to dances - and before all that, they would sit around the campfire and tell stories to one another. Satisfied with my answer, she happily redirected her attention to the evening’s entertainment.
For me, however, her question was cause for further reflection. The traditional role of the “bard” - the professional poet and keeper of stories, so often found at that campfire – was central to community life in medieval Celtic culture. He cast a vision for the society in which he lived through the public performance of poetry, narrative and music. He preserved social history by retelling of noble deeds of heroes past. He had the power to address and shape a culture, reminding people of where they had come from and where they were going. Unfortunately in our day and age, the traditional bard has been replaced by the mass media.
Even so, stories have no less social importance for us today than they did centuries ago; we are still avid consumers of them through television, books, movies, and increasingly, new media. We still hunger for that which stories can give – entertainment, of course – but also the enriching experience of vicariously exploring the central themes of our society through characters other than ourselves. We instinctively know that somehow, truth-telling through fiction can teach us as much as – and sometimes more than – our real-life experience.
So how many of us today spend time developing our own “bardic skills” – the ability to weave a tale with words, perform a story in front of an audience, remember and recite poetry? Sadly, for most of us, social storytelling has shifted away from epic narrative to personal anecdotes around the barbecue. Consequently, indulgence in bardic activity is largely left to children.
Children play at epic tales from an early age. They have no fear of entering fictional worlds and becoming someone or something else. They do it individually and they do it with others – and they do it constantly. My own children have mythical places they visit regularly and rituals that are associated with them. Their stories feature creatures they’ve invented, battles between good and evil, and storylines which explore ideas that are important to them.
Because of this natural affinity for imaginative engagement, participation in “Drama” as a leisure activity is seen by many parents as an enhancement to children’s lives and development. Drama directs creative play through performance, increases self-confidence, develops thinking skills, and incorporates listening and reading skills. Shy children can find their voice in drama, while natural performers gain a legitimate platform for their exuberance. And since theatre – the context for most dramatic activities – is a collaborative art form, drama also encourages team work, empathy with others and problem-solving skills. In so many ways, drama is a path to self-discovery.
It stands to reason, then, that the same benefits of dramatic participation should be available to adults. Skills lost since childhood, such as imaginative storytelling and other bard-like activities, can be resurrected. Self-confidence can be gained. A sense of community and shared experience can form around a script. The flow-on effects of exploring emotion as a performer can spill over into other parts of your life. And yet, it is usually fear and inhibition which prevent many adults from participation in dramatic art; ironically, they’re the very things which can be overcome in the doing of it.
Television, for all its storytelling function in contemporary life, will never provide these same benefits. We would do well to cultivate the bard in ourselves and encourage it in our children, for the sake of future generations.
Elizabeth Scott is Managing Director of Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art.
