Theatre workshops in classes to help students step out of comfort zone

A few weeks back, I attended a theatre workshop in school. The word “theatre” itself made me uncomfortable. Will I have to raise my voice? Will I have to exaggerate my actions?

Before long, some of my fears turned into reality. After a warm-up session, we were told to say our names loudly and “do a big action” so that the rest of the class will follow us.

Things didn’t get better. In another activity, we were told to stand in groups of four, all facing the same direction, in front of other classmates. We had to follow a leader, to move according to the music. From start to end, I was giggling to hide how nervous I was.

Yet, after having been through all that, I am now advocating for theatre to be brought into classrooms.

The school environment is a good place for us to step out of our comfort zone and still be safe.

Sure, you may feel hot in the face, but what is the worst that could happen? You are not ruining a deal for a company, doing a bad presentation, or losing a reputation for which you have worked hard to build.

I recognise the value in such a workshop to develop me and give me confidence to do bigger things. The theatre exercises also help us understand ourselves better: What am I afraid of — is it embarrassment or judgement? How do I behave in uncomfortable situations — do I stutter or turn red?

Such activities are beneficial to our development when we are young.

In one segment called “playback theatre”, certain participants were gathered as a group and had to role-play characters after listening to a story narrated by a member of the audience that they had not heard before.

Just watching this unfold, I saw a lot of potential for this exercise to teach respect and empathy, and to build a stronger community. How often do we get heard by a group of people who just listen and not try to “make things better”? How often do we get an opportunity to share our thoughts with a group who listens to how we feel?

Another message brought across by this experience is that everybody has a story to tell. It doesn’t have to be something huge that happened. In our everyday lives, we experience different events that shape us, and those are worthy of our attention and reflection, too.