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Social Skills and Self-Esteem through Theatre

By Grey Pratt, Customer Service Rep, Pioneer Drama Service 

Grey has been involved in theatre for 16+ years, starting from when they were a small child.  Through the years, their participation has included acting, tech, directing, designing, writing, construction, and much more.  The theatre arts have a special place in Grey’s heart, and they invest themself in any facet they can, which has led to the exciting opportunity of being employed with Pioneer Drama. 

In my years of working with kids in theatre, it never ceases to amaze me how much theatre and acting help children learn social skills and self-esteem.  I’ve had many young actors come to me with such stage fright that they don’t want any lines and would rather play a cat or a tree, but are now taking the stage by storm and playing leading roles!

Getting into theatre at an early age can lead to unlimited positive benefits in the development of a child’s creativity, self-confidence, and social skills.  It builds confidence, improves verbal and non-verbal communication, develops creativity, empathy, and concentration, and encourages teamwork.  It also opens the door to new friendships and plants a firm belief in a child that they can be or do anything.

Without a doubt, studying and participating in theatre gives us the ability to think creatively.  In a world that is constantly changing, creative thinking is essential to come up with new and exciting ideas and solutions.  Through theatre, we get to explore new worlds, become people from different times and places, and learn about different perspectives and ways of thinking.  We explore relationships with people, things, and places, and study how those relationships affect us.  In portraying a variety of people and characters, we learn to better understand personalities and subtext, which allows us to adapt and relate better to unfamiliar situations, contexts, and even cultures.

On top of that, theatre helps guide different forms of communication and expression.  Being in theatre and learning to perform can help children develop speaking, communication, and expressive skills.  It provides children with an environment in which they develop their vocabulary, projection, meaning, and information.  But more than that, it gives them the chance to find their own words, to express what they are feeling, to address their surroundings.  It gives them a voice that they may not have had before, even if that voice is non-verbal body language and physical communication.

Young actors can also find teamwork, friendship, and family in theatre.  My community theatre back home became my second family, my safe space.  And that is what I’ve always made it for the kids who were under my wing — a safe space, a second home.  The goal should always be to give encouragement, love, and support.

That is what theatre can do for our youth!  I’ve seen it time and again in children I’ve taught, the youth I grew up with, and even in myself.  Theatre shaped me into the person I am today!  It taught me what it meant to truly look through someone else’s eyes, yet have my own voice.  It taught me how my body moves in the world around me, how to work with others, and how to communicate with so much more than words.  The impact of theatre is something that can’t be denied!