Jerzy Grotowski created the first “theatre laboratory”. He mentions in his book Towards a Poor Theatre that theatre becomes a tool of knowledge for the actor as a person. The laboratory objective is to discover the man who exists beyond the actor and learner by looking for the origin of one’s actions, awareness of values and urge to socialization.
The theatre laboratory is a friendly environment where the student is able to develop his psycho-physical well-being without the fear to be judged, because the laboratory is set up on the solid foundation of respect to the others. Students’ spontaneity will go beyond expressing emotionally and intellectually towards creating themselves strong persons.
A young student, as all human beings, is a relational, gregarious being, so he will function within a group all his life. Classical education only cannot prepare him for this. It’s the reflection of his behaviour in the others that will make him understand himself. This confirms once more the convergence between theatre and education, mainly in secondary school. Theatre laboratories also give students the opportunity to see their past and relive their behavioural situation and become aware of their progress in strength and positivity; all through physical rhythm and more structured exercises.
The new technologies alienation caused by exhausting the social skills in the virtual world until communication becomes difficult in the real world is cancelled by theatre laboratory if this is set up in secondary school in order to be more effective.
Pupils’ auditory, visual and kinesthetic perception develops attention, empathy and sensorial data, and is able to stimulate emotional intelligence and foster emotional skills.
Theatre games experimentation highlights technical skills to manage and control the settings in the theatre laboratories, thus pupils become more thoughtful towards their peers.
In the theatre laboratory, socialization strengthens students, helping them to reach uninhibited management and expression of their own body and voice in individual or group activities.
Theatre laboratories allow students to explore and recognize their own possibilities and potentialities, methods and options in order both to combine the elements of the dramatic structure and to develop their own social personality.
Students’ reflection after theatre games within theatre laboratories makes them think about the artistic activity they have developed and link it to their own real life.
During the theatre laboratory activities, students will develop reproductive imagination - that allows them to imitate and interpret productions of others - and also creative imagination - that allows them to improvise and transfer the newly acquired skills into real life situations: job interviews, working under pressure, taking quick decisions etc.
In theatre laboratories, students will develop their aesthetic awareness and through it they will identify in themselves appropriate resources that allow them:
- To express their ideas, feelings, emotions and sensations.
- To get rid of phobias, prejudices or the tendency to judge other people.
- To accept diversity both in people and ideas.
The activities within theatre laboratories will produce aesthetic enjoyment (Catharsis), will develop artistic sensitivity and also empathy in students.