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PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. &Hum. 13 (2): 211-218 (2005) ISSN: 0128-7702 Universiti Putra Malaysia Press Self-Esteem of Youth Participating in Theatre Performance: A Malaysian Scenario WENDYYEE, AZIMI HAMZAH, JEGAK ULI 8c TURIMAN SUANDI Institute for Community and Peace Studies (PEKKA) Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Keywords: Self-esteem, youth participating, theatre performance ABSTRAK Satu daripada aspek pertumbuhan yang penting di peringkat awal dewasa adalah pembentukan identiti. Kejayaan pertumbuhan di peringkat ini menjadi asas kepada pembangunan belia di mana aspek pertumbuhan seterusnya ialah pembentukan hubungan intim. Belia yang mempunyai konsep kendiri yang sangat tinggi berupaya membentuk hubungan dan keintiman hubungan dengan individu lain. Dalam konteks ini, teater dikira sebagai satu program pembangunan kerana melalui persembahan belia boleh menonjolkan identiti baru dan boleh menerokai diri mereka sendiri. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti tahap kendiri belia yang menyertai persembahan teater dan mengenal pasti elemen di dalam persembahan teater yang menyumbang kepada pembentukan konsep kendiri. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa belia yang menyertai persembahan teater mempunyai tahap kendiri yang tinggi. ABSTRACT A major developmental task during adolescent is the development of a sense of identity. The success of this stage of development will be the basis for development in the next stage of the developmental as a youth; where the development task is to build intimate relationship. Youth with a strong sense of self-esteem will establish better relationship and greater intimacy with another person. In this aspect, theatre is identified as one of the common developmental programs used because through performing, the youth are able to project a new identity and discover themselves. The study was aimed at identifying the extent of the self-esteem development among the youth as a result of participating in theatre performances and identifying the most influential theatre performance elements that contributed to the development of self-esteem. The findings of the study indicated that youth who participated in the theatre performances had a higher level of self-esteem. INTRODUCTION Adolescent is a critical stage for development because it is a stage of identity versus role confusion (Erikson 1950). A major developmental task during this stage is the development of a sense of identity. Though identity is not formed exclusively in adolescent, identity is significantly transformed during this period of life (Kroger, 1996). This is a period where they feel insecure about themselves; about who they are and what they will become. Without developing a positive self-esteem, this phenomenon will lead to a sense of isolation during the stage of young adulthood or youth in the context of Malaysia 1 . As described by Erikson, youth at the age of young adulthood are expected to establish a close and committed relationship with another person. 1 Malaysia defines youth between the ages of 15 to 40.

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PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 13 (2): 211-218 (2005)ISSN: 0128-7702

Universiti Putra Malaysia Press

Self-Esteem of Youth Participating in Theatre Performance:A Malaysian Scenario

WENDYYEE, AZIMI HAMZAH, JEGAK ULI 8c TURIMAN SUANDIInstitute for Community and Peace Studies (PEKKA)

Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Keywords: Self-esteem, youth participating, theatre performance

ABSTRAKSatu daripada aspek pertumbuhan yang penting di peringkat awal dewasa adalah pembentukanidentiti. Kejayaan pertumbuhan di peringkat ini menjadi asas kepada pembangunan belia dimana aspek pertumbuhan seterusnya ialah pembentukan hubungan intim. Belia yang mempunyaikonsep kendiri yang sangat tinggi berupaya membentuk hubungan dan keintiman hubungandengan individu lain. Dalam konteks ini, teater dikira sebagai satu program pembangunan keranamelalui persembahan belia boleh menonjolkan identiti baru dan boleh menerokai diri merekasendiri. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti tahap kendiri belia yang menyertaipersembahan teater dan mengenal pasti elemen di dalam persembahan teater yang menyumbangkepada pembentukan konsep kendiri. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa belia yang menyertaipersembahan teater mempunyai tahap kendiri yang tinggi.

ABSTRACTA major developmental task during adolescent is the development of a sense of identity. Thesuccess of this stage of development will be the basis for development in the next stage of thedevelopmental as a youth; where the development task is to build intimate relationship. Youthwith a strong sense of self-esteem will establish better relationship and greater intimacy withanother person. In this aspect, theatre is identified as one of the common developmental programsused because through performing, the youth are able to project a new identity and discoverthemselves. The study was aimed at identifying the extent of the self-esteem development amongthe youth as a result of participating in theatre performances and identifying the most influentialtheatre performance elements that contributed to the development of self-esteem. The findingsof the study indicated that youth who participated in the theatre performances had a higherlevel of self-esteem.

INTRODUCTIONAdolescent is a critical stage for developmentbecause it is a stage of identity versus roleconfusion (Erikson 1950). A majordevelopmental task during this stage is thedevelopment of a sense of identity. Thoughidentity is not formed exclusively inadolescent, identity is significantlytransformed during this period of life (Kroger,

1996). This is a period where they feelinsecure about themselves; about who they areand what they will become. Withoutdeveloping a positive self-esteem, thisphenomenon will lead to a sense of isolationduring the stage of young adulthood or youthin the context of Malaysia1. As described byErikson, youth at the age of young adulthoodare expected to establish a close andcommitted relationship with another person.

1 Malaysia defines youth between the ages of 15 to 40.

Wendy Yee, Azimi Hamzah, Jegak Uli & Turiman Suandi

However, only after the IndustrialRevolution in the 60's and 70's, there is agradual increased in the age of adolescenceinto the late 20's as the period of exploration,education and interim status extended; acontinuous dependence on family or the stateand thus delay role definition and security ofidentity as described by Erikson (1968).Therefore, many models of the past that werebuilt on the assumption that college studentswere young adults who were ready for thedevelopmental task of building intimaterelationship may not be relevant. In an agewhere adulthood is delayed and adolescenceis lengthening, each stage of the psychosocialdevelopment may vary as well.

Similarly, the United Nations GeneralAssembly defined youth, as those personsbetween the ages of 15 and 24 years inclusively.This definition was made for the InternationalYouth Year, held around the world in 1985.However, the operational definition andnuances of the term 'youth' often vary fromcountry to country, depending on the specificsocio-cultural, institutional, economic andpolitical factors. As or Malaysia, youth isdefined between the ages of 15 to 40 years oldbut for operational purposes, youth activitiesare targeted for youth between the age of 15to 25.

According to Harper and Marshall (1991),adolescent who admit to experiencing moreserious problems tend to have poor self-esteem. They become highly dependent uponthe peer group for support and susceptible topeer pressure. Hence, adolescents with lowself-esteem are associated with a host ofproblems including drug and alcohol abuse,eating disorders, depression and suicide. Thismakes it difficult for them to form a positiveand healthy relationship as they move to thenext stage of life and into the society. Thisconcept of self-esteem is founded on thepremise that it is strongly connected to a senseof competence and worthiness as well as therelationship between the two as one lives life.Worthiness might be considered apsychological aspect of the self-esteem, whilecompetence might be considered as abehavioural or sociological aspect of the self-

esteem. Self-esteem stems from the experienceof living consciously and might be viewed as aperson's overalljudgment of himself or herselfpertaining to self-competence and self-worthbased on reality (Reasoner 2000). Therefore,a positive self-esteem is indispensable tonormal and healthy adolescent and youthdevelopment because it provides resistance,strength and a capacity for regeneration(Branden 1992).

Developmental scientists, policy makersand practitioners working with youth believethat enhancing the lives of youth with positiveopportunities and experiences can reduce thelikelihood and magnitude of youth relatedproblems (Carnegie Council on AdolescentDevelopment 1995; Dryfoos 1996). Realizingthis, many youth developmental programshave been organized to help youth to develop.Performing arts, theatre specifically , is one ofthe common developmental programs usedprimarily in the United States, Britain, Canada,New Zealand and Australia (Courtney 1980).Performing allows the youth to discover aboutthemselves and their lives. Performing givesthem the ability to project a new identity andthis kind of developmental activity is vital(Courtney 1980). Studies show that sustainedinvolvement in theatre arts associates with avariety of development for youth: gains inreading proficiency, self-concept andmotivation and higher levels of empathy andtolerance for others. One of the mostimportant functions of theatre in humansociety is to give one the experience ofsituations that they do not encounter oftenenough in real life (Wilson 1994). Liveperformance is not just a simulation ofeveryday behaviour, it is a biological stimulator(Pradier 1990). According to Wilson (1994),the study of theatre is of great value topsychologists because it is a vital part of life.Essentially human preoccupations andconflicts are played out on stage and in films,not just for entertainment, but also for self-discovery, catharsis and impetus for socialchange. Psychology, then, as 'the science ofbehaviour and experience1 and theatre as 'amirror to life' each has a lot to offer the other.

212 PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. & Hum. Vol. 13 No. 2 2005

Self-Esteem of Youth Participating in Theatre Performance: A Malaysian Scenario

In order to rise to the challenges and copewith the effects of rapid economicdevelopment and globalization, Malaysia toohas many youth development programs thataim to benefit the youth. However, the focusis mainly on sport activities, leadershiptrainings, healthy lifestyle programs andcommunity social services (Seventh MalaysiaPlan, 1996) with the most recent approach, theNational Service. Unlike in most developedcountries where theatre has been introducedas an art in the school curriculum, Malaysia'sattempt in introducing theatre in school is stillat the infant stage.

It was encouraging to note that there isan increased in the number of youthparticipating in theatre based on theincreasing number of theatre groups inMalaysia. Hence, there is a need to explorethe potential of theatre as a vehicle for youthidentity development in Malaysia. Firstly, thisstudy will look into the level of self-esteem ofyouth participated in theatre performancespecifically. Secondly, the study will identifythe elements in the theatre performance,namely role-playing, script development andanalysis, speech, improvisation, gesture andphysical movement as well as characterizationhave the greatest influence towards thedevelopment of self-esteem.

METHODOLOGYThis study focused on the theatre students oftwo higher learning institutions, namelyAcademy Seni Kebangsaan and UniversitiTeknologi MARA (UiTM), (N = 138) offeringdiploma courses in Theatre with very wellestablished and systematic syllabus. A total of10 items with a five point Likert format (1 =Strongly Disagree, 5= Strongly Agree) wereused to assess the respondents' level of self-esteem. The 10 items questionnaire wasadapted from Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale(SES), 1986. The original Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale has high reliability: test-retestcorrelations in the range of .82 to .88 whereas,Cronbach's alpha for various samples are inthe range of .77 to .88.

The levels of self-esteem were categorizedinto three levels based on the items and scoreusing the equal class interval method. Therewere low, moderate and high and werecalculated as follows: The minimum score forself-esteem were 1 point x 10 variables =10points and the maximum score were 5 pointsx 10 variables = 50 points. The class interval is(50 - 10)/3 = 13. The level of self-esteem wasthen categorized into:a. Low (0-13)b. Moderate (14-26)c. High (27-40)

Before the adapted questionnaire can beused, content validity and reliability tests wereconducted. Firstly, informal interviews withthe lecturers who teach theatre and somealumni who had graduated from the theatreclass were conducted. These informalinterviews were conducted in order to obtaina better understanding of the overall pictureof theatre in relation to the students'development in both the lecturers andstudent's point of view. This had become thebackground in understanding the outcome ofthe survey at the later stage. It also gave ageneral information and backgroundunderstanding of the population. The initialobservation from these interviews indicatedthat theatre helped, boost self-confidence,develop creativity, improve speech andexpression and develop understanding ofhuman relation-ships through learning thecharacters and analysing the script and storylines. The lecturers and alumni were alsoasked to check the content of thequestionnaire for content validity.

A pilot study was conducted with a smallergroup consisting of 18 students to test thereliability and validity of the questionnaire inthe local context. This pilot study also servedto collect feedback from the respondentspertaining to anything related to theconstruction of the questionnaire. This stepwas taken to avoid cultural bias, as thequestionnaire used was adopted. The test-retest reliability and the Cronbach's alpha werealso tested.

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Wendy \fee, Azimi Hamzah, Jegak Uli 8c Turiman Suandi

After pilot testing, necessary amendmentswere made to the questionnaires before givingout to 109 students for the actual survey.Initially, the students were asked to gather ina spacious and comfortable classroom, wheretheir lecturer then brief them on the purposeand intention of the survey. Thequestionnaires were distributed and thestudents were free to ask anything they did notunderstand on the questionnaires. There wasno time limitation for them to complete thequestionnaire. Therefore, the students hadample time to read and understand thequestions before answering them andsufficient time to complete all the questions.This was very crucial as it ensures allquestionnaires were valid for further testing.The returned questionnaires were coded,computed and analysed using the SPSS.

The actual data collected were tested forreliability using the Cronbach's Alpha analysis.It was observed that the a coefficients of allthe scales for the pre test were in the range of0.70 to 0.77, while for the final test they werein the range of 0.70 to 0.78. Such high acoefficient indicated the reliability of theinstrument and dimensions used. Descriptivestatistics were used to describe the data in thisstudy.

FINDINGS

The cumulative mean average ratings wereused to determine the level for items in theinstrument of the self-esteem. Frequency wasused to determine the level of self-esteemmeasured. The descriptive statistics, mean andstandard deviation were used to discuss oneach theatre element, which has the greatestinfluence towards the development of self-esteem.

From the descriptive statistic generated,the respondents' average age is 20.6 year oldwith the minimum and miximum ages of 19and 25 years, respectively. The results showedthat majority of the respondents (81.7%) hada high level of self-esteem while 18.3%reported a moderate level of self-esteem. Norespondents reported a low level of self-esteem.The chi-square value is 43.68 with the p value

of 0.05. This indicates that the proportion ofthe respondents with high level of self-esteemis significantly higher than the moderate level.

TABLE 1Distribution of respondents by their level of self-

esteem

Level of Self-Esteem Frequency Percent

ModerateHighTotal

2089

109

18.381.7

100.0

X2 = 43.679 df = 1 p-value = 0.05

The high level of self-esteem indicates thatthese students are positive about themselves.They have a strong sense of personal worthand sell-competence. According to Taylor andBrown (1988), individuals with high self-esteem are able to access more positivethoughts about themselves after failure.

The 10 items questionnaire was used inthe scale to measure self-esteem and out ofwhich, 5 items were reverse in values, namelyitems no. 3, no, 5, no. 8, no. 9 and no. 10. Asshown in Table 2, three items were rated veryhighly. The items were item no. 6 followed byitem no. 1 and then item no. 2. Item no. 6indicated that the respondents took a positiveattitude towards themselves and item no. 1indicated that the respondents had self-worthor at least on an equal plane with others.Finally i tem n o . 2 ind ica ted that therespondents felt that they were competent andpossessed a n u m b e r of good qual i t ies .Theoretically, these three items are relatedwith the characteristics of high self-esteem.According to Blascovich and Tomaka (1991),self-esteem refers to an individual's sense ofhis or her value or worth or the extent to whicha person values, approves of and appreciateshimself or herself. The high scores for these3 items corresponded directly to the overallhigh level of self-esteem among the students.

On the other hand, item with the lowestranking (lowest mean value) is item no. 8. Thisitem indicates the level of respect therespondents have for themselves. As this is one

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Self-Esteem of Youth Participating in Theatre Performance: A Malaysian Scenario

TABLE 2Measures of central tendency and variability for self-esteem by items

Statements of Self-Esteem Mean Standard Deviation Sum

I feel that I'm a person of worth, at least on an equalplane with others.I feel that I have a number of good qualities.All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure.I am able to do things as well as most other people.I feel I do not have much to be proud of.I take a positive attitude towards myself.On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.I wish I could have more respect for myself.I certainly feel useless at times.

4.20 0.73 454

4.123.933.744.004.273.823.503.894.00

0.590.790.73L020.690.861.220.960.89

449428408435465416382424435

of the items in the reverse value, the lowestmean value of 3.50 indicates that the majorityof the respondents do respect themselves andthey do not look down upon themselves.Hence, the overall result of this study is verypositive as it indicates that the respondentsdoing theatre performances have a high levelof self-esteem despite the fact that mostadolescence or young adults at these ages arebelieved to have a decrease in their self-esteem.

According to Malhi and Reasoner (2000),the general characteristics of individuals witha high self-esteem involves self confident,assume responsibility for their own lives, acceptthemselves unconditionally, toleratefrustrations well, assertive, seek continuousself-improvement, outgoing, have peace withinthemselves, willing to take calculated risks,enjoy good interpersonal relationships, lovingand lovable and self-directed. Self-esteem doesnot involve feelings of superiority. "High self-esteem people tend to be free of arrogance orcontempt for others or to manifest otherbehaviour that we associate with the idea ofsuperiority" Rosenberg (1989). Theyrecognize their weaknesses or limitations andconstantly seek to change what they can forpersonal improvement. Therefore, the resultis very significant as it demonstrated thebenefits of the theatre performance towardsthe development of self-esteem among theyouth.

In order to answer the second objectiveof the study, several elements in theatreperformance were selected for this study todetermine their influence or effects towardsthe development of the respondents' self-esteem. The theatre elements selected for thisstudy include role-play, script developmentand analysis, speech, improvisation, gestureand physical movement as well ascharacterization. These few elements wereselected because they are the major elementsin theatre performance. Besides, the sixelements also cover both the preparatory andperformance stages in a theatre performance.

TABLE 3Mean for each theatre element for self-esteem

Theatre Elements

Role PlayImprovisationCharacterizationSpeechGesture and PhysicalMovement

Script Development andAnalysis

Mean

3.3763.1743.0552.6882.679

2.358

StandardDeviation

0.8251.0701.1041.3241.380

1.431

Results in Table 3 show that role-play hasthe highest mean value for self-esteemfollowed by improvisation and

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characterization. The theatre elementwith theleast mean value for self-esteem is scriptdevelopment and analysis. This indicates thatamong the six theatre elements, role-play hasthe greatest influence towards thedevelopment of the participants' self-esteemwhereas the script development and analysishas the least influence towards thedevelopment of the participants' self-esteem.

DISCUSSIONAs youth struggle with the crisis of identityversus role confusion, it is important to assistthem in resolving this issue in a healthy andsafe manner Success in resolving this conflictwill build a solid foundation for them whenthey enter the next phase of life - adulthood.In light of this, theatre was explored as a youthidentity development program because theexperience entails repetition of actions,thoughts or emotions, role-playing,improvisation, characterization, scriptdevelopment and analysis, over which theadolescent gains increased tolerance ormastery. These are essential in helping theyouth to mediate their confusion and developtheir identity, self-esteem primarily as theystruggle with the issues of identity,independence, competency and social role.This study has identified that role-playing,improvisation and characterization specificallythat have the greatest influence on thedevelopment of self-esteem.

Generally, the youth who participated intheatre, experienced the development in self-esteem because the theatre performanceprovides them with a vehicle for a safeexpression of their inner most feelings andbuilt on their competency that brought aboutsatisfaction, confidence, hope and positivethinking. These are mainly important for theyouth in Malaysia because it comprises of amulti ethnic society. In order to live in peaceand harmony in such a society, it requires greattolerance and understanding is required , theelement which stems from positive thinking,confidence and high level of self-esteem.

Though the population of this study issmall (109), the theories from the literature

review supports the results obtained in thisstudy. Young people need to develop theirinner resources such as identity and skills inorder for them to be able to cope with thepressures and challenges that might lead theminto unhealthy and confused behaviours.According to some psychological theories,development is not what happens to people;it is the people engaging in the process ofgrowing, transforming and creating newoptions for how to be and relate to the world.Theatre performance has elements that allowthe youth to keep growing, transform theirweaknesses, challenge their limitations andprovide a lot of opportunities for them tocreate new options and to test out the differentroles. Therefore, these elements in thetheatre performance do help the youth todevelop their self-esteem.

Role-play for example, is a dramatic formwhere the actors try out possible futures in role(Courtney 1980). For Erikson, youth is an ageof struggling with identities and therefore, roleconfusion occurs. Many of theirimprovisations and role-play in the theatreperformance enable them to test out thequalities of the characters in terms of what ismost desirable and comfortable with theparticipants. Hence, as actor on stage, theyexplore the different roles in life, without fearof making mistakes and experiencespontaneous improvisation in a formal theatre.Upon this basis, they can plan their actions -both intuitively as they proceed and prior tothe action in pre-planning. In this manner,the participants develop the feelings of self-competence and personal worth. Thus, role-play and improvisation have a great influencetowards the development of the participants'self-esteem.

Besides, both role-play and improvisationare action oriented activities and through thereal experience gained on stage, theparticipants feel good about themselves. Ascompared to the element of scriptdevelopment and analysis, the impact towardsthe development of self-esteem is lesser. Thisis because without taking action, trying out theroles and self- experience the roles, what is

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Self-Esteem of Youth Participating in Theatre Performance: A Malaysian Scenario

described in the script will remains as merelya script. Script analysis is only capable toprovide a theoretical and backgroundunderstanding of the story and characters.Therefore, the script development and analysishas the least influence towards thedevelopment of self-esteem.

IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONSThe main implication of this study is thattheatre appears to be a beneficial activitiy forthe development of the youth's identity. Theelements in theatre helps to fill in the gap inthe developmental stages of these youth andact as a suitable programme for the self-esteemdevelopment of the youth. In relations topractices, this study implies that theatre canbe incorporated as a youth identitydevelopment program in Malaysia. Therefore,both the youth development organizationsfrom the government and NGOs can put moreefforts looking into theatre as a suitable youthidentity development program on top of theexisting developmental programs. Moreawareness should also be created among theyouth organizations and youth officers on thebenefits of theatre performance towards youthidentity development of the youth identity.Unless they are aware of the scenario,incorporating theatre performance into thecurriculum of youth identity development willtherefore be difficult.

The result of this study also indicated thatyouth participating in theatre performancehave developed a high level of self-esteem.Therefore, theatre is recommended to be usedas a developmental program at the early stageof the youth development to provide them witha healthy environment for identity formation,as most characteristic of a person is formed atthe early adolescence if not younger. Thisstudy also indicated that role-play,improvisation and characterization are theelements in the theatre performance asperceived to have the most influence towardsthe development of self-esteem. Therefore,this posed another implication for practicethat is; more emphasis needs to be given toenhance and improve these theatre

performance elements in developing thefuture theatre programs. Besides theatre,these elements can also be incorporated intoother youth developmental programs orclassroom activities that aimed to developyouths' self-esteem.

Another implication of this study is thatthe involvement in arts not only will produceoutcomes related to arts but the non-artsoutcomes as well such as the spiritualdevelopment or character development of theyouth. Therefore, future research may placeimportance on other arts elements such asmusic, dance or non-performing arts such aspainting, sculpting or photography aspromising agents in developing self-esteem. Itis recommended that the future research canlook into more challenging area regarding thesustaining effects of this development intoadulthood. This is an important stream tofollow the sample through into adulthood toexplore the sustaining effects of the self-esteemdevelopment as a result of participating in thetheatre performance. The sustaining effectsof the development will depend on thestrength of impact theatre has upon theseyouth. Therefore, future research may wantto include up-close longitudinal studies ofstudents heavily involved in theatre at thesingle or multiple-school level to explorecontinual changes. While this study focusedon the self-esteem as an outcome of the theatreperformance participation, there are still anumber of other characteristics that may bethe outcome of theatre performance and haveyet to be explored. Hence, future researchcan look into the benefits of the theatreperformance towards the development of suchunexplored potential.

CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, theatre performance has beenproven to be a beneficial activity for the youthidentity development specifically the youth atthe transition stages of identity versus roleconfusion and intimacy versus isolation. Roleplay, improvisation and characterization arethe elements of the theatre performance thatassist the youth to develop a higher self-esteem

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Wendy \fee, Azimi Hamzah, Jegak Uli & Turiman Suandi

to face life challenges and engage in problemsolving in a safe and deep personal way.Theatre provides the youth with a differentperspective of their lives and a chance toimagine a different outcome. Though theatreis not life, it is so meaningful to them as itreaches down into their inner self and developstheir identity. Hence, in the pursuit ofeducating the youth and helping themdevelop their identity and move smoothly intofine young adults, theatre performance willhelp plays an important role as part of theyouth identity development program.

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(Received: 29 August 2005)

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