Drama imparts vital skills, values

University of Goroka creative arts and communication lecturer Dr Jane Awi says drama helps impart discipline, team work, creativity and problem solving values to students.
Awi told The National that they have supported the Moresby Arts Theatre Pride youth arts programme by providing a drama curriculum that focused on helping students develop topics of issues and portray them in drama.
“Drama has good values in terms of discipline because students are given a task and they need to complete it within a given time.
“Everyone has to work together so team building, co-operation, collaboration, team work and creativity is there as well as coming up with solutions.
“So these are skills, soft skills to help students develop their characters. It’s good for character building especially for young people,” she said.
She said second and third year students and drama teachers from her department and two members of the Raunraun Theatre group in Goroka were all part of the team that assisted the students in the programme.
MAT vice president Bob Stanley said the programme was initiated in 2005 and ran in 2006, 2009 and this year.
Stanley said they hoped to make it an annual programme for as many schools as possible.
He said currently, the programme is focused on the student’s confidence, knowledge of social issues and theatrical skills. ner from the plays performed by participating schools.