PERCEPTION OF DRAMA AND THEATRE AMONG NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background to the Study

Theatre and drama are the two interwoven practices of art. Theatre as an art form is subdivided into two aspects, which are venue and performance.

Historically, theatre arose as a performance or ritual activities that did not require initiation on the part of the spectator, this similarity of early ritual performance is negatively attested to by Aristotle, in his work popularly known as “Aristotle’s Poetics. Theatre from these two aspects mentioned shall be elaborated.

            Theatre is a collaborative form of all that uses live performances typically actors, actresses, singers, dancers, magicians to present the experience of a real or imagined event before live audience in a specific place, often on a platform popularly  known as stage. Such performance communicates the experience through the combination of gestures, speech, songs/music, dance and magic. It’s noted that theatrical performances tend to educate, inform and entertain the live audience base on its content, which is the message in it.

            Theatre is also a secluded and orchestrated environment where theatrical performances such as Dance, Musicals, Drama, Pantomime and even magic performances take place. Looking at theatre from this perspective, we see it as “viewing place” which emanates from the Greek word “Theatron” and examples of these “Viewing place” include:

1. The proscenium stage
2. The Thrust stage
3. The Arena Stage

Drama on its own is ancient Greek word meaning “Act” “Deed” or “Doing”. According to Aristotle in his “Aristotle’s poetics” Aristotle sees drama as a live performance which takes place in the theatron (viewing place).

            Historically, Drama started from Classical Greek, which was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece at about 700BC, in the state of the Athens which became a significant culture, political and military power during this period. Drama was institutionalized as part of a festive celebration in honor of the Greek god called Dionysius, which is the god of wine and festivity, other periods in drama includes: the Roman Era, Medieval, Elizabethan and Jacobean Era, then Modern and Post-modern. Drama on its own is divided into different genres which includes Tragedy, Comedy, Tragi-comedy (Melodrama) and Satire.Over the years, drama and theatre had been perceived to be a very disreputable course among Nigerian secondary students, and primary pupils sees Drama and Theatre as an unacceptable practice and hereby discourage their children from such practice forgetting that drama and theatre have so many benefits to the society at large, especially to the secondary school curricula.

            But Drama and Theatre serve as tool to entertain, inform and educate, here theatrical practices help to educate the young ones about norms, culture and educate the young or moral standards. It also helps to inform (remind) such of their origin (background) and it should be noted that in that process, it entertains the audience and most at times, arouse laughter.Apart from the above named importance of the theatre and drama among secondary schools, management seem to have forgotten that theatre and drama is one  of the strongest tools in teaching, as it help for easy assimilation and remembrance, according to Dorothy Healthcore.