From the beginning of civilization, theatre has helped people discover themselves and understand their relationship to the world and other people. It has always been a life affirming force. Throughout the ages, drama has opened portrayals to real-life situations that no lecture or book could, and has been more closely allied, than any other art, to the exploration of the deepest thoughts concerning human nature and destiny.
Public education trivializes the arts, including theatre. This is unfortunate, because a healthy human psyche needs to explore and comprehend its surrounding environment, and then express the discovery. When we deny our need to explore our world and express our discoveries in healthy ways, our personal growth is stunted.
Through the theater, people have the opportunity to vicariously experience various life situations. The theatre allows the audience to look through the bakery window, to smell the sweet aroma of the baked goods, without having to purchase anything they may not want.
A great practitioner of the dramatic arts- whether through acting, writing, or directing- can do far more to develop a healthy, mature human psyche than any shelf of self-help books.
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