Between acting and hypocrisy: Students’ change regarding future perception and social acting

Abstract

Abstract This article is part of a larger study that consists of testing the relevance of drama for 202 Romanian teenagers. The study explores differences in the ways high school students would like to be perceived in the future, their opinion about the importance of drama, and the concept of social acting as an extension of theatricality. The research takes into account three samples: students who practise drama in a dedicated art high school; students from a regular high school with optional drama classes; and students who never engage in drama activities. The study considers theatricality as a concept that belongs at the same time to theatre (at a semantic level) and to everyday life, since human behaviour in different social settings resembles the stage and its instruments (Goffman 1959). The results show a higher level of daily awareness of theatricality for Romanian students who practise drama either in a dedicated acting class or in a regular high school with optional drama classes. Students who do not have any connection with drama activities report that those who behave differently according to their situation are hypocritical, and these students consider acting (as interpreting a role) to be an exclusive characteristic of theatre, not real life. Another key finding in the study was that the interest in engaging in future cultural activities was higher among the students from the regular high school than among those who study at the art high school, who labelled stardom and financial aspects as more important than engaging in arts-related activities for their cultural enrichment. The article offers possible explanations for the diverse responses provided by students.