About 52% of our society is under the age of 18. This means that we are a young society and over half of it spends more than six hours a day on school benches to receive knowledge through inculcation and are subjected to conservative educational measures and regulations.

Luckier students are at schools that enjoy some space for extra curricular activities. Less lucky students are at schools with benches crammed with students and are left with no breathing space. They become mere receptacles for crude and dry information devoid of discussion or experimentation.

In class, the student uses only three of his senses for learning viz. hearing, seeing and touching. Any partial distraction in any one of these senses could automatically cause the loss of most of the information that is normally absorbed mechanically. As the student’s imagination is put on hold during the learning process and most probably not excited, his capacity to link and analyse would be limited to the confines of the walls of his classroom, which is overcrowded with students who compete with him in thought and in expression. Therefore training a student towards focused concentration, sharpening his senses and exciting his imagination would lead him to intelligent assimilation and flexible interaction inside the classroom.

Moving the students from their traditional seats to the wider space of the training hall, or even staying in the classroom with some kind of rearrangement to provide a wider space, would undoubtedly help the students to embark on the journey of new learning which would carry them to, yet, inexperienced horizons.

Drama at school helps the development of a student’s spontaneity enabling him to draw on his latent powers, to increase his linguistic proficiency and broaden his imagination in the creation of stories and discussions. It increases his potential to go on and to initiate constructive social contacts; it enhances his flexibility and his emotional and psychological stability; it paves the way for him to understand and to appreciate art, literature and life around him; it also renders him more flexible in the acceptance of those around him, in understanding them and accepting the concept of self criticism and that of others.

Therefore, working on body flexibility, exciting the imagination, developing skills, stimulating latent capacities through the action, the word, the image, and the utilization of students linguistic and body expressions, these would all shape a personality capable of confronting the increasing intellectual and academic challenges of this era. They would also guarantee creative development and academic enhancement of students and assist them in facing frustrations and continuously increasing pressures that they live as a result of the incessantly changing political conditions in Palestine.

With this in mind and with this spirit, ASHTAR undertook to spread drama and theatre through various means that considered students’ interests in the forefront in its diverse programs, which conformed to school conditions and field developments.

The pioneering program that ASHTAR launched ten years ago addressed students with a curricular program that extends over three years during which they receive acting training. When they terminate the program they will have a chance to further their training at the Theatre for a period of two additional years after which they will become actors on the road to professionalism. ASHTAR tailored this program with the participation of Maralam Theatre of Switzerland with its artistic director, Peter Braschler, who came to Palestine twice a year over a period of six consecutive years to train ASHTAR’s trainers and students and direct the summer production with them.

The training value was evident in the summer program and the annual production of the students. They were required to be present 8 hours a day over a period of eight weeks for training on a play to be presented to the general public at the end and then tour with it in Palestine. The summer program was the principal yardstick for actor students that measured the seriousness of their perseverance in theatre and the practical test that made them appreciate its nature especially that they were dealing with a professional production team and often stood on stage side by side with their trainers.

As to the drama school clubs - they depend on the appointment of ASHTAR’s trainers at various schools throughout the scholastic year for work with students willing to join the program. During this time they prepare a play and present it at the end of the year to the students and their parents. ASHTAR launched this program following the graduation of a number of its theatre - training students who were keen to resume work in the theatre domain. ASHTAR, designed a new program for the preparation of these graduates to become drama trainers at schools. The program lasted for two years providing training to six ASHTAR graduates alongside a number of schoolteachers who were keen on drama. Of those graduates who continued to work with ASHTAR Theatre were, Shadi Zumurod, Raed Al-Ayasa and Mohammad Eid.