IDEA will host an international online webinar on Drama/Theatre Education in Action for Peace on 30 May 2026 as part of UNESCO Culture and Arts Education Week 2026, focusing on empathy, dialogue, sustainability, social justice, and peacebuilding through arts education.

Global Webinar to Highlight the Role of Drama and Theatre Education in Peacebuilding

The International Drama/Theatre and Education Association (IDEA) is set to host an international online webinar titled “IDEA and WAAE: Drama/Theatre Education in Action for Peace” on 30 May 2026. The event is being organised as part of UNESCO Culture and Arts Education Week 2026, observed from 25 May to 31 May 2026.

The webinar aligns with the global theme adopted by the World Alliance for Arts Education (WAAE) for 2026: “Arts Education in Action for Peace.” The theme places arts education at the centre of conversations around peace, inclusion, empathy, sustainability, and democratic engagement.

The online gathering will bring together drama and theatre educators, practitioners, researchers, and arts education stakeholders from different parts of the world to explore how theatre-based learning can support peaceful engagement across communities and cultures.

Event Overview

Focus on Empathy, Dialogue and Peaceful Engagement

The webinar will examine how drama and theatre education can be used as a powerful educational approach to foster empathy, dialogue, social justice, sustainability, and intercultural understanding.

Through performance, storytelling, embodied learning, and collaborative theatre practices, participants will explore how arts-based education can help learners engage with complex social issues, including conflict, climate justice, ecological awareness, and democratic participation.

The programme is expected to highlight innovative theatre education practices that encourage learners to think critically, collaborate meaningfully, and understand diverse perspectives.

Key Themes of the Webinar

The webinar will focus on several important themes relevant to education, culture, community development, and peacebuilding:

Drama for Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding

Drama and theatre-based methods can help learners understand conflict from multiple perspectives. By using role-play, storytelling, improvisation, and reflective dialogue, drama education can create safe spaces for discussing sensitive issues and building empathy.

Climate Justice and STEAM Approaches

The webinar will also explore how drama and theatre education can connect with climate justice and STEAM-based learning. Arts-based approaches can help students understand environmental challenges in a more human-centred and experiential manner.

Intercultural and Embodied Pedagogies

Drama education encourages learning through the body, voice, movement, and lived experience. Intercultural and embodied pedagogies can support deeper understanding of identity, culture, belonging, and community relationships.

Theatre as Democratic Practice

Theatre can function as a democratic space where participants listen, respond, negotiate, and collectively create meaning. The webinar will discuss how theatre education can support civic engagement, democratic values, and participatory learning.

Ecological and Sensory Awareness

The event will also highlight how theatre and performance can build ecological sensitivity by encouraging learners to connect with nature, place, environment, and sensory experience.

Featured Presenters

The webinar will feature presentations from international educators and practitioners, including:

1. Michelle Gram Giesen, Canada
2. Matthew Sheahan and Heather Newman, Canada
3. You Lyu, United Kingdom
4. Lutz Pickardt, Germany
5. Roberson de Sousa Nunes, Brazil

Their presentations are expected to showcase global practices in drama and theatre education, with a focus on peacebuilding, sustainability, community engagement, and inclusive learning.

Why This Matters for the Education and Skills Ecosystem

The webinar comes at a time when education systems around the world are increasingly recognising the importance of creativity, emotional intelligence, collaboration, communication, and social responsibility.

For the skills and vocational education ecosystem, arts-based learning has growing relevance. Drama and theatre education can strengthen soft skills, confidence, teamwork, leadership, public communication, problem-solving, and cultural understanding among learners.

As education and training systems respond to global challenges such as climate change, social inequality, conflict, and digital transformation, creative pedagogies can play a significant role in preparing learners for both employment and responsible citizenship.

Arts Education as a Tool for Peace

The theme “Arts Education in Action for Peace” reflects the growing global recognition that arts education is not limited to performance or creativity alone. It can also contribute to social cohesion, democratic participation, inclusive dialogue, and sustainable development.

Drama and theatre education, in particular, enables participants to step into different roles, understand multiple viewpoints, and practise meaningful communication. These qualities are essential for building peaceful and inclusive communities.

Registration Details

Interested participants can register for the online webinar through the official Zoom registration link:

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/IsgXW2f1ThODb-OFxvIkXg

Participants are advised to check the registration page for final updates related to timing, access details, and webinar participation instructions.

Conclusion

The IDEA and WAAE: Drama/Theatre Education in Action for Peace webinar will serve as an important platform for educators, theatre practitioners, researchers, and arts education advocates to exchange ideas on the role of drama and theatre in building empathy, peace, sustainability, and democratic engagement.

By placing theatre education at the heart of peace-focused learning, the initiative reinforces the value of arts education in shaping inclusive, creative, and socially responsible futures.

Drama education, theatre education, peace education, UNESCO Culture and Arts Education Week 2026, IDEA webinar, arts education, WAAE, education for peace