How Devising Theatre Scenes Helps Children Learn English

For almost 30 years, Drama Ties Theatre Company has been bringing English to life across Paris and Île-de-France — where learning English comes to life. Through dynamic, immersive theatre experiences, Drama Ties has shown students that language doesn’t belong only in textbooks — it moves, speaks, laughs, and connects. One of the most powerful ways this happens is through devising theatre scenes.

🎭 What Is Devising Theatre?

Devising theatre is a process where students create their own scenes instead of performing from a scripted play. They work together to develop characters, settings, dialogue, and stories — often inspired by themes, pictures, or real-life situations. Because students generate the language themselves, they become active participants in their learning rather than passive receivers.

💬 Builds Speaking Confidence

Many children feel nervous about speaking English aloud, especially if it is not their first language. Theatre activities create a playful, low-pressure environment where mistakes are part of the creative process. When children speak in role, they often feel less self-conscious, allowing them to experiment with vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence structures more freely.

Over time, this repeated oral practice strengthens fluency and builds the confidence to speak in everyday situations. Robert Brazil, an actor with Drama Ties troupe says, “There is nothing more powerful that watching a student find their voice through the creative process of devising.”

🛠 Develops Vocabulary in Context

Instead of learning words in isolation, children learn language through meaningful situations. A scene set in a shop, school, or airport naturally introduces useful phrases and expressions. Because students use this language repeatedly while rehearsing and performing, new vocabulary becomes memorable and functional rather than abstract.

🧠 Improves Listening and Comprehension Skills

Devising theatre is collaborative. Children must listen carefully to their peers, respond appropriately, and adapt their ideas in real time. This strengthens listening comprehension and teaches them how conversation works — taking turns, clarifying meaning, and responding thoughtfully.

These are essential skills for real-world communication in English.

✨ Encourages Creative Writing and Storytelling

When students create their own scenes, they practise structuring stories, developing characters, and writing dialogue. This strengthens grammar, sentence formation, and narrative skills in a natural, engaging way. Children often become more motivated to write when they know their words will be spoken and performed, not just marked on a page.

🙌 Supports Social and Emotional Learning

Drama activities promote teamwork, empathy, and emotional expression. By stepping into different roles, children explore perspectives beyond their own and learn how to express feelings appropriately in English. This emotional engagement deepens learning and makes language more meaningful and memorable.

🎭Increases Engagement and Motivation

Movement, imagination, laughter, and collaboration make learning enjoyable. When children are actively involved, they are more focused, motivated, and willing to take risks with language. Theatre transforms English lessons into dynamic experiences rather than passive classroom tasks.

By creating their own scenes and getting the emotions and movements into their bodies first, it often becomes evident to the students what they should be saying in a specific moment. The language emerges naturally. There may be mistakes at first, but that doesn’t worry us, there is plenty of time for corrections later on during the devising process.

💬Makes Language Learning Real and Purposeful

Perhaps most importantly, devising theatre scenes gives children a reason to use English. Language becomes a tool for communication, storytelling, and connection — not just an academic requirement. This sense of purpose accelerates learning and helps children transfer classroom English into real-life contexts.

✨Final Thoughts

Devising theatre scenes combines creativity, communication, and collaboration in powerful ways. By integrating drama into English learning, educators create opportunities for children to speak with confidence, listen actively, think creatively, and use language meaningfully. Whether in mainstream classrooms or language learning environments, theatre offers an inclusive and joyful pathway to English proficiency. Drama Ties brings professional actors into your classroom to provide the tools needed to devise and create moving the students forward in both confidence and language skills.