Relationship between theater and visual arts

Relationship between theater and visual arts

​ Through the step-by-step development of children and plays presented in Blueprint, I could again confirm that educational theatre is not an option but an essential subject for children.

​ I made a diagram to deeply analyze the characteristics of each developmental stage and the corresponding play education strategy.

In other words, if you look at the chart above, children start creative play for the first time, respond to stories with joy and cheers, and as they become elementary school students, they observe their world and create their own stories. And in middle school, i.e., during puberty, secondary growth and dramatic emotional expression due to hormones help in theater activities. Through this process, when children become high school students who choose theater as their major, they are prepared to use their abilities through detailed technical and critical exploration of theater. These stages of children's development are very similar to theatrical characteristics, such as breathing. In other words, children love theater from an early age, pursue theater, hone their skills for theater, and learn about society.


We have already seen this in the "Building Relationships Crucial to play" part of the Victoria School example.
"Using the arts as part of one's "practice" should be as natural as breathing. Music, art, drama, dance, and literacy arts makes the teaching and learning process three dimensional. More real and thereby more meaningful" (by Sherryl Clelland, an art teacher)


In other words, when we find a connection point that connects these plays with visual art as naturally as breathing, education will become more realistic, lively, three-dimensional, and meaningful. And in fact, I could rethink these examples again through the "Teaching and Learning Conference 2023" hosted by Adelphi University, which the professor recommended. In other words, during the lecture, I was deeply inspired by the content of James Martin, the co-founder of Baby Giant Design, in the Friday online lecture "Idea & the future of creative art." While explaining the numerous icons and typography he designs, he shared through the screen how many times he practiced, wrote, imagined, and tried to develop such a design. He showed us many sketchbooks and journals, diaries, and exercise books in which he sketched.

 ​It was a fantastic amount. Designers practice sparkly ideas, travel for inspiration, listen to Music, and perform. And the result of this work comes out in the form of a work of art. He explained that encouraging this activity is an idea for future creative arts and education. I agree with him. In other words, as the art teacher at Victoria School said above, art education is practiced like breathing, writing, and acting, and this is delivered in the form of visual art that can be seen with the eyes. In other words, theater and performance, drama and visual art are not separated as if they were different parts. Still, they are the same root and have an important relationship. It's like watching a child's development process and feeling like the child was born for play. To use such natural temperament and characteristics, it is essential first to recognize the basics, skills, and roles of theater and incorporate them into the art education field. For this example, if you recall the class example of drawing ten favorite animals that applied Eastern woodland first nation artist Norval Morrisseau, which was already practiced in the 4th-grade classroom like the example of the Victoria School, the correct answer will come out. Each of them thinks of an image of their favorite animal, discusses it, reads it, investigates it, collaborates with other fields, expresses it as a performance, and then draws it as an image. Our students can receive a three-dimensional, multi-faceted, profound education through this.