Figure 1.--This English school has a film unit and produced the ghost story film "Once For Twice". It is aplay about a haunted schoolboy. The boys wear traditional prep school uniforms of the 1960s and 70s.

Many schools also sponser dramatic performances. These productions provide many valuable learning experiences for the children involved. They help to teach the value of hard work and team efforts as well as an appreciation of literarture. Drama seems to be especially popular in American and British schools. British schools tend to stage many classic plays, but Americans plays (especially Broadway plays) are popular. We have little information on other countries. Here a limiting factor is that extra-curricular activities are often more limited in foreign schools. We hope to acquire more information as HBC develops. Nor do we know just what plays foreign schools stage. For the rehersals and early work the children wear their normal school clothes. Like local theater, production quality and costuming can be highly variable. Often dramas chosen have children in the cast, giving opportunity for contemorary or period costuming.

Historical Development

The school play is a long established school tradition. A central aspect of the Renaissance was the reawakening of the classical tradition. More classical works became available to scholars throughout Europe. And this included the Greek and Roman plays. All of this fed into the growing humanist tradition that was at the heart of the Renaissance. At the same time the economic pace of Europe was quickening. Both developments fed into the new universities which required an ever increasing number of schools such as grammar schools. In the early-16th century the Protestant Reformation. The Bible reading promoted by the Protestants also fuel expanding education and literacy. Some time after the mid-16th century we begin to see school dramas being produced, first in universities and then in the grammar schools. These dramas were performed in Latin as part of the curriculum. The Catholic resonse to the Reformation was the Counter Reformation led by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The Jesuits were founded to oppose the Reformation intelectually (1540). And the Jesuits and others soon realized that that theater was an important medium to glorifying the Roman Catholic church and Catholic theology. A common target in Catholic dramas was free thought which led go the Protestant heresy. Thus school plays became important not only at schools in Protestant countries, but in Catholic countries as well. The play was especially important in the Jesuit colleges that were founded throughout Catholic Europe.

Value

Many schools also sponser dramatic performances. These productions provide many valuable learning experiences for the children involved. They help to teach the value of hard work and team efforts as well as an appreciation of literarture.

Country Trends

Drama seems to be especially popular in American and British schools. I am not sure just why this is. Perhaps it reflects the strong tradition of theater in those countries. A great focus on extra-curricular activities may be another factor. British schools tend to stage many classic plays, but Americans plays (especially Broadway plays) are popular. We have little information on other countries. Here a limiting factor is that extra-curricular activities are often more limited in foreign schools. We hope to acquire more information as HBC develops. Nor do we know just what plays foreign schools stage.

Clothing

For the rehersals and early work the children wear their normal school clothes. Like local theater, production quality and costuming can be highly variable. Often dramas chosen have children in the cast, giving opportunity for contemorary or period costuming. Costuming of course is a problem in school productions. Busgets are very limited. Thus the teachers and parents have to be very imaginative in how they approach costuming.

Created: March 12, 2000
Last updated: 2:15 AM 12/14/2004