Innovation in Language Learning

The paper addresses the area of non-formal adult education and communicates the idea of an amateur theatre as a way of self-development in view of much-demanded social competence and soft skills [1]. The application of theatre-based activities has long traditions in education, in general, and in language skills development, in particular. Drama pedagogy, applied theatre, experiential learning, process drama are just a few out of many theatre-related methods [2] that target a wide range of skills and competencies; they have been successfully applied on various levels of education and in various educational contexts; they have not lost their validity in face of the 21century challenges [3]. The paper presents a case study on a French amateur theatre in Lithuania. The experience-based research explores the effect of the stage acting on the development of adults’ personal features and social skills, with a particular focus on their L2 skills. The authors’ findings are based on the analysis of the data collected in the online survey of personal opinions and self-reflections of the amateur theatre participants: the responses reveal their attitudes and insights into their theatre/acting experience. The survey questions focused on the changes in the participants’ socially relevant skills, such as collaboration, active listening, critical thinking, as well as on the development of the participants’ communicative skills, especially in using French, i.e. L2 for the majority of the respondents. The authors conclude the paper with a summary of the survey results and suggestions for the further development of theatre-based ways of community learning that can be of use for adults as well as for younger learners.