Chenchen Zeng's article of 'An overview of current trends in drama education in the People's Republic of China' provided a lucid presentation of the current development of drama education in China, paying particular attention to schools and the role of private education companies. This article is intended to complement her paper by attending to…

My privileged opportunity to work with renowned Drama theorist, Dorothy Heathcote, in Melbourne in the 1970s, set a foundation for what I now call Theatre as Education research. Formerly a teacher of Secondary Drama, I became very experienced at creating plays with my students, based on their own ideas, or inspired by the stories of the community.…

With this issue, "RiDE" begins a new occasional series of short informational pieces on archives in the field of drama and theatre education and applied theatre and performance. Each instalment will include summaries of several collections of significant material in the field. Over time this will build into a readily accessible annotated directory…

This article explores prevailing rhetoric in published scholarship in the field of educational drama and applied theatre, responding to O'Toole's call to investigate if researchers in the field are "missing something vital by staying in our comfort zones". He noted a "serious need for more usable, broad-based, and reliable base-line…

With this issue, "RiDE" continues its new occasional series of short informational pieces on archives in the field of drama and theatre education and applied theatre and performance. Each instalment includes summaries of one or more collections of significant material in the field. Over time this will build into a readily accessible…

Traditionally drama in schools has been seen either as a learning medium with a wide range of curricular uses or as a subject in its own right. This paper argues that the importance of drama in schools is in the processes of social and artistic engagement and experiencing of drama rather than in its outcomes. The paper contrasts the pro-social…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles deal with the following topics: (1) a taxonomy of educational objectives in acting; (2) contemporary musical theatre in Utah; (3) applying management concepts to educational theatre operations; (4) creative drama and…

Lists 29 research projects in progress within the field of theater, drama, and education. Provides the researcher's name, research title, school/organization affiliation, type of research, and estimated date of completion. (MM)

This special journal edition contains research reports on children and the theatre. The seven articles discuss the following subjects: (1) how audiences function in participation plays for young people, (2) creative dramatics and handicapped children, (3) the effect of advance organizers on children's responses to theatre viewing, (4) a Piagetian…

Juxtaposes Erikson's theory of psychosocial development with Goldberg's concept of developmental drama. Suggests that research in this area could (1) strengthen the skills of directors, playwrights, and pedagogues and (2) offer educators and administrators a scientifically valid case for the value of children's theater in the schools. (PD)

Confined to the interaction of subject sex with stimulus complexity, this paper reports a portion of the results of an experimental study which hypothesized a series of relationships between theatre audience members' information-processing abilities and their responses to complex and simple plays. The subjects for the study were 60 female and 30…

Interviewed 188 students about nine plays to develop an instrument for measuring audience response to plays. Then used the instrument, a category system, to examine the responses of fourth and tenth graders to two plays; found the instrument useful in describing different reactions to plays. (PD)

Since the most immediate and efficient method of illustrating lectures on the history of the theatre is by using visual aids, theatre historians should learn the best ways of creating and using such aids as slides, slide/tape packages, commercially produced films and filmstrips, and video cassettes and tapes. These aids have characteristics which…

Emphasizes the educational benefits derived from research in dramatics arts. Cites research indicating that role playing has a positive effect on oral language, moral reasoning, and self-esteem. Points out that teachers and administrators do not include dramatic instruction in their curriculum, and offers ways to make dramatic arts more appealing.…

Confined to the interaction of complexity/simplicity of the stimulus play, this paper both focuses on the differing patterns of response between cognitively complex and cognitively simple persons to the characters in "The Homecoming" and "Private Lives" and attempts to determine the responses to specific characters or groups of…