Adult, community education in acting and performance as personal development: “I can look people in the eye now!”

Authors: Rob Townsend and Jeffrey Bryant Jones
Laurus Higher Education and Melbourne University

Edition: Volume 64, Number 2, July 2024

Introduction: Creative arts and performance courses at the community level for mature age individuals. Theatre and drama as education and as therapy. This article charts and reflects on several ACE arts-based courses and community theatre productions that have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the professional experiences of the teacher. Change for individuals via education occurs intentionally and unintentionally and needs to be documented, with some examples presented here. If personal change and development were the intention of the courses described here, then participants did have the opportunity to integrate their self-discoveries into their real lives, potentially leading to transformation. The teacher being aware of, and skilled in, emotional regulation strategies can benefit students and teachers in all forms of learning, specifically adult community education. The students in the course described in this article have transformed from anxious, self-doubting individuals into empowered, self-confident people who bravely create their own acting techniques.

Keywords: performance, acting, personal development, theatre, community, social contexts, social isolation

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 64:2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.