Theatre, with its focus on spoken word and dramatic expression, serves as a powerful catalyst for the development of oracy and writing skills. This is what inspires so much joy in my work as a teaching artist. I get to use theatre as a tool for teaching a broad range of content to learners of many different backgrounds.

Research shows that learners who experience theater arts perform better in school, are more confident, listen better, read better, write better, and show up in the world more fully. While theater is an important additive to the learning process, literacy is its foundation.

Educators who have ever worked with the Common Core Standards or any variety of state standards in the United States, would be familiar with the English Language Arts Standards of Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. These are The four literacies in education, also called language literacies and traditional literacies. Studies reflect that mastering these four literacies enhances a learner’s success in life.

In our increasingly fast-paced digital world it’s time to start thinking deeply about the ways that the four literacies apply to online learning and digital presence.