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traditional bard has been replaced by the mass media.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.
