Theatre Arts Technology in the Scottish Primary Drama Classroom: The Sum of Unequal P‘arts’

TY - JOUR

T1 - Theatre Arts Technology in the Scottish Primary Drama Classroom

T2 - The Sum of Unequal P‘arts’

AU - Barlow, William D.

AU - Doig, Nikki

AU - Kimm, Michael

N1 - This article was first published in Drama Research: international journal of drama in education Volume 17 No 1 April 2026 at: https://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/drama-research/ It is one of a wide range of articles on drama/theatre in education available by subscription to the journal at: https://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/subscribe-to-drama-research/ Access to the journal is free to members of National Drama. Join National Drama at https://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/subscribe/

PY - 2026/4/1

Y1 - 2026/4/1

N2 - While the Expressive Arts curriculum aims for a holistic approach to drama, the weight given to its individual components is skewed. Since the implementation of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) this research is the first to focus on primary teachers’ perspectives on theatre arts technology (lighting, set, sound, props, make-up and hair, and costume), as both a pedagogic tool and component of performance. Exploring the unequal p‘arts’ of the drama curriculum, the study identifies a significant curricular imbalance: the single mention of theatre arts technology in the primary level drama descriptors stands in direct contrast to the nine collective mentions of performance-based skills (voice, movement, and role play). Drawing from a larger mixed-methods study the research surveyed 83 teachers across diverse primary demographics using a 32-item questionnaire which was analysed via descriptive statistics and inductive content analysis.

AB - While the Expressive Arts curriculum aims for a holistic approach to drama, the weight given to its individual components is skewed. Since the implementation of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) this research is the first to focus on primary teachers’ perspectives on theatre arts technology (lighting, set, sound, props, make-up and hair, and costume), as both a pedagogic tool and component of performance. Exploring the unequal p‘arts’ of the drama curriculum, the study identifies a significant curricular imbalance: the single mention of theatre arts technology in the primary level drama descriptors stands in direct contrast to the nine collective mentions of performance-based skills (voice, movement, and role play). Drawing from a larger mixed-methods study the research surveyed 83 teachers across diverse primary demographics using a 32-item questionnaire which was analysed via descriptive statistics and inductive content analysis.

KW - primary drama education

KW - expressive arts

KW - theatre arts technology

U2 - 10.64741/249969bxyngz

DO - 10.64741/249969bxyngz

M3 - Article

SN - 2040-2228

VL - 17

JO - Drama Research

JF - Drama Research

IS - 1

ER -