In an era of tightening budgets and competing priorities, school leaders face difficult decisions about where to allocate precious resources.
While it may be tempting to view a trip to the theatre as an optional extra, the compelling evidence for their educational, social and developmental impact shows that live performance should be an essential part of all children’s education.
This is why schools are at the heart of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival - and why there are such powerful reasons to give pupils live performance opportunities.
Live theatre offers exceptional opportunities for cross-curricular learning. Through performances, pupils engage in rich, interdisciplinary experiences that naturally integrate multiple areas of learning.
They develop critical literacy skills through engagement with complex narratives, while simultaneously building listening and communication capabilities.
Also, the emotional depth of live performances provides valuable content for health and wellbeing discussions, allowing pupils to explore complex themes in a structured, supportive environment.
Promoting equal opportunities
In our diverse educational landscape, theatre visits play a crucial role in reducing cultural and economic barriers. For many children, a school-organised performance may represent their only opportunity to experience live theatre.
These shared cultural experiences create common reference points among pupils from different backgrounds, helping them feel part of a wider cultural community. By making theatre accessible to all, we ensure that cultural experiences aren’t limited by socioeconomic factors.
Exposure to high-quality live performances broadens pupils’ cultural horizons and deepens their understanding of the world.
These experiences go beyond mere entertainment - they provide joyful and profound moments that can shape a child’s perspective and appreciation of the arts. Such cultural experiences are particularly valuable in our increasingly digital world, offering authentic, unmediated engagement with artistic expression.
Theatre attendance develops crucial ”meta-skills” that are increasingly valued in education and the workplace. Pupils enhance their curiosity, creativity and ability to focus - skills that transfer directly to academic performance.
Post-performance discussions foster critical thinking and analytical abilities, while the shared experience encourages meaningful dialogue and reflection among peers. These skills are fundamental to pupils’ future success across all areas of learning.
The communal nature of theatre attendance creates unique opportunities for social and emotional development. Children learn to work collaboratively as they prepare for and reflect on performances together.
The experience also enhances emotional intelligence as they observe and discuss artists’ and characters’ motivations and choices.
Inspiration and aspiration
Most significantly, live theatre experiences can transform pupils’ aspirations and vision for their future. These visits create memorable learning experiences outside the traditional classroom environment, sparking creativity and imagination in ways that can influence career choices and personal development.
The impact of seeing professional performers and experiencing the magic of live theatre can inspire pupils to pursue their own creative interests and set higher goals for themselves.
This resonates with my own experience growing up in suburban Melbourne - when watching theatre, the wider world and what it could offer suddenly opened in front of my eyes.
I encourage educational leaders to recognise that theatre visits are not luxury additions to the curriculum, but essential investments in pupils’ development.
Theatrical experiences are an investment not only in our children’s future success but in their current wellbeing; the cost is outweighed by both the benefits of developing well-rounded, culturally aware and emotionally intelligent young people ready to thrive in an increasingly complex world.
Supporting theatrical experiences is not just an investment in a momentary event but in the holistic growth of the children in our care.
Noel Jordan is director of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, for which the 2025 programme launched today
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