Drama-in-schools in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

Drama in the Philippines has been an integral part of the lives of Filipinos. Drama-in-schools came about with the establishment of the formal school system during the Spanish and American period of colonisation of the Philippines. With the establishment of the public schools system, the American teachers introduced drama in the schools, as part of their English and Literature classes. At present, neither elementary nor high school curriculum designates a specific subject or time exclusively for drama. Instead, drama in schools was integrated in other subjects such as English, Filipino, History or Social Studies or Music, Art, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH). There are many challenges confronting drama/arts education but despite all these, there is a strong and vibrant tradition of drama in the Philippines for many years now, not only in schools but also in many communities. Arts education in the Philippines should be further supported and strengthened as it can contribute to developing a strong and creative citizenry.

KEYWORDS:

• Drama
• schools
• the Philippines

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on Contributors

Alice A. Pañares is member of the Technical Panel for Teacher Education of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). She is also a consultant of the Department of Education for the curriculum design of Arts for Grades 11–12. A seasoned trainer and educator, Ms. Pañares was a former Commissioner for Cultural Dissemination of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and former Deputy Director of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) of the Department of Education. Ms. Pañares has an M.A. in Teaching, Major in Art Education at the University of the Philippines.

Maria Gloriosa S. Cabangon (Beng) is the Executive Director of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) since 1993. Beng led the establishment of the PETA Theater Center a dynamic centre for the arts in the Philippines and Asia. An artist-teacher and a specialist in trainers’ training for theatre/drama education and arts management, she designed numerous programmes and written journals on culture and arts. Beng is a University of the Philippines graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Master in Education – Curriculum Studies.