Specialized Programs in Drama: a gateway to self and art in society

Abstract

This article explores the unique contexts of two specialized drama education programs that offer adolescents from twelve to eighteen years of age the chance to create, perform, and appreciate works of art. Describing these two contexts helps to clarify how their respective missions support these young people in affirming their identities and constructing their world views. The drama program offered at La Maison Jaune, located in Quebec City, Quebec, allows students to explore the meaning of their experience of the creative process. The Centre d’Excellence Artistique De La Salle in Ottawa, Ontario, places drama training in a societal context where the educational practices contribute to artistic renewal and to the collective imagination.

Keywords

• Drama
• Adolescents
• Specialized Programs
• Identity.