Friends of MSTYP
A big thank you to one of our MSTYP supporters, Miranda Jacobson!
Miranda wrote the following article to highlight the importance of Drama and Theatre! A must read to know more about the power MSTYP classes could have on your children!
Miranda Jacobson is the CEO and founder of Vision Dilemma. With more than 15 years of experience in the business industry, Miranda has become a respected thought leader in her field. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs develop the critical thinking skills needed to overcome business challenges and achieve success.
Throughout her career, Miranda has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to empowering business owners. Her expertise in critical thinking and problem-solving has helped countless entrepreneurs navigate complex issues and make strategic decisions that drive results. At Vision Dilemma, Miranda has built a team of dedicated professionals who share her vision of providing top-of-the-line resources to entrepreneurs. When she’s not helping entrepreneurs transform their businesses, Miranda enjoys hiking, yoga, and spending time with her family.
More Than a Performance: How Drama Helps Young People Grow
Drama and theatre education gives Australian children and teenagers a practical way to develop confidence, resilience, creativity, empathy, teamwork and communication. Although audiences may see the finished performance, the most valuable learning often happens quietly—in rehearsals, improvisations, group discussions and the many imperfect attempts that come before opening night. For a young person, drama is not simply preparation for becoming an actor. It is an active form of personal development: a place to practise speaking clearly, listening carefully, understanding other perspectives and contributing to something larger than themselves.
What families should know
The Australian Curriculum recognises that drama develops capabilities including imagination, collaboration, communication, empathy, agility, confidence and expression. Drama education can help young people:
- speak in front of others with greater confidence
- recognise, express and manage emotions
- listen, negotiate and solve problems within a group
- recover from mistakes without giving up
- experiment with ideas in a supportive environment
- understand experiences and viewpoints beyond their own
- turn imagination into a shared, finished outcome
These benefits tend to build gradually. A child may begin by contributing one idea during an improvisation, then progress to performing a short scene, leading a group exercise or speaking confidently before an audience.
How developmental benefits emerge over time
| Developmental area | What happens in drama | How it may help beyond the theatre |
| Public speaking | Students practise projection, articulation, pacing and audience awareness | Greater confidence in presentations, interviews and group discussions |
| Emotional literacy | Characters require students to identify motives, feelings and reactions | Improved ability to understand and communicate emotions |
| Collaboration | Scenes depend on listening, timing, compromise and mutual support | Stronger teamwork in school, work, sport and community settings |
| Resilience | Lines are forgotten, ideas are revised and rehearsals do not always go smoothly | A healthier response to mistakes, feedback and setbacks |
| Creativity | Students invent characters, situations, dialogue and solutions | More flexible thinking and greater willingness to explore possibilities |
| Empathy | Young people temporarily inhabit lives and perspectives unlike their own | Increased sensitivity to different experiences and points of view |
Rehearsal is resilience in action
Confidence is not built by telling a child to “be confident”. It grows when the child repeatedly faces a manageable challenge and discovers that they can handle it.
Rehearsal provides this process in miniature. A scene may feel awkward at first. A student might lose their place, speak too softly or misunderstand a direction. They try again, receive feedback and notice improvement. Over time, mistakes become information rather than evidence of failure.
The same process builds patience. Young performers learn that worthwhile outcomes rarely arrive fully formed. A production develops through repetition, refinement and collective effort. That understanding can serve them during exams, employment, relationships and other situations where progress is gradual.
A North Shore pathway into youth theatre
For families in northern Sydney, Marian Street Theatre for Young People is a long-established youth theatre company and drama school with a history dating to 1969. The organisation describes itself as one of Australia’s oldest continually operating children’s theatres and drama schools. Its current program includes weekly drama and musical theatre classes from Kindergarten to Year 12, holiday activities, advanced training through the MSTYP Performance Ensemble and an Accessible Drama 18+ program for people living with an intellectual disability. Classes are offered across Killara, Turramurra, St Ives, Asquith and Hornsby. Improv and other specialised activities are also included in its broader class and workshop offering. For North Shore families seeking more than a once-off performance activity, MSTYP offers a pathway through which young people can develop their voices, build creative discipline and become part of a supportive theatrical community.
Making creativity accessible to more young people
Inclusive drama education matters because the developmental value of creative expression is not limited to confident speakers, experienced performers or children from particular backgrounds.
Some students communicate more freely through movement, role-play or fictional characters than through conventional classroom discussion. Others benefit from predictable routines, repeated rehearsal, sensory consideration or additional time to process instructions. Accessible programs can adjust activities without lowering expectations, allowing participants to experience agency, belonging and genuine artistic contribution.
Affordability and location also influence access. Fees, transport, costumes and performance schedules can exclude families unless organisations provide flexible entry points, community partnerships, trial classes or programs designed around different needs.
Inclusion strengthens the entire ensemble. When young people encounter different communication styles, abilities and life experiences, collaboration becomes more thoughtful and empathy becomes something they practise rather than merely discuss.
A useful Australian research starting point
Families and educators interested in the wider evidence for arts participation can explore the National Advocates for Arts Education evidence and research collection. The organisation brings together Australian and international research examining how arts education contributes to academic and non-academic development. The collection is useful because it looks beyond the narrow question of whether arts participation improves school marks. It also considers wellbeing, motivation, creativity, confidence and life skills. The organisation notes that arts-rich education from an early age supports creativity and self-expression and may strengthen learners’ confidence and motivation. It provides a sensible starting point for parents, teachers and school leaders who want evidence-informed reasons to protect arts opportunities.
Frequently asked questions
Does a child need to be outgoing to benefit from drama?
No. Drama can be particularly valuable for quieter students because participation can be introduced gradually. A well-run class may begin with group games, movement, paired exercises and short improvisations before expecting an individual performance.
Is drama mainly useful for children who want acting careers?
No. Acting is one possible pathway, but the communication, teamwork, adaptability and emotional awareness developed through drama are useful across many occupations and everyday situations.
How long does it take to see results?
Some families notice early changes in enthusiasm or willingness to speak, while deeper gains usually develop through consistent participation. Confidence created through repeated practice is generally more durable than confidence produced by a single performance.
Can drama support a child who struggles with mistakes?
Yes. Rehearsal normalises revision. Students learn that forgetting a line, changing an idea or receiving direction is part of making the work stronger—not a reason to withdraw.
The lifelong value of an early creative voice
Young people who are encouraged to create learn that their ideas can be shaped, shared and improved. They also discover that expression carries responsibility: a performer must listen, prepare, support others and consider how a story affects an audience. Those lessons endure long after the costumes are packed away. A child who learns to speak with clarity, imagine another person’s perspective and recover after an imperfect attempt is gaining more than stagecraft. Drama education helps young people participate in life with courage, curiosity and consideration—and that may be its most important performance of all.
