Dragana Vučić Đekić

In 2015, I started “Dramatuljci” – drama workshops that, among other things, deal with encouraging and developing humor, which plays an important role in the emotional and intellectual development of a child. I received my doctorate at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb in the field of humanities, the field of science of art, branch: theater and dramatology. The focus of ​​my interest is the theories of laughter and the psychological, philosophical, sociological, and communicative aspects of laughter. The topic I dealt with is stand-up comedy, a popular form of comedy performance that is special because the comedian presents himself on stage, presents his point of view, observing the world and everyday life in a new, authentic way. Precisely this authenticity and the ability to observe from a different perspective are the characteristics of a creative spirit, not only on stage but also in life. I believe that this type of creative and critical thinking is worth cultivating from childhood, developing a sense of humor in children, and encouraging them to observe the world from different perspectives, be open to new ideas and freely express their own attitudes, thoughts and emotions. Children who learn to think critically through humor will not be subject to various forms of manipulation and various efforts to create a system of like-minded people. Children with a developed sense of humor, on the contrary, will often express their own non-conventional views and present original and new ideas. At “Dramatuljci” drama workshops, we prepare comedies, develop comic characters and situations, and encourage and develop children’s sense of humor through various exercises and games. In a relaxed and fun atmosphere, children get rid of the fear of (public) performance, and express their ideas, thoughts, and feelings more freely, because humor relaxes adults and children the most. In addition to comedy plays and dramatizations of jokes, we also prepare plays based on the therapeutic stories of Susan Perrow, which were written to help children with various challenges and emotional states. One such play that we made as part of the drama workshops based on Susan Perrow’s story is “The Star Apple” which shows how boredom becomes a great source of creativity.