Effects of Theatre Activity on Communication and Interaction Skills of People with Disabilities

Purpose: In this study, the nature of theatre activity which activates the performers and increases self-confidence was considered and it was aimed to investigate the effects of theatre activity on communication and interaction skills of individuals with disability. Material and Methods: Seven disabled people who had applied to join an art atelier and had never taken theater training before and did not have speech problems or severe mental retardation were included in the study. Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills (ACIS) was used in the study. Individuals were observed for 60 minutes and then ACIS score for each parameter (physicality, information exchange, relations) was scored. The participants attended 12 sessions which consisted of theatre warm-up exercises and rehearsals. After theatre sessions, ACIS was applied again to evaluate changes in communication. Results: Five male (%71.4), 2 female (%28.6) totally 7 individuals had the mean age of 16.85±2.4 years. 3 individuals had learning disability and 4 had mild mental retardation. The participants’ scored an average of 46.42±12.75 (median=56) at the first ACIS assessment, then scored 64.14±8.35 after theatre activity. The improvement in the communication and interaction skills was statistically significant (p=0.018). Conclusion: This study proved that the theatre activity improves communication and interaction skills. Nevertheless, further controlled studies with larger sample groups are needed