Using Theatre to Develop Writing Skills: The Story Pirates Idea Storm

The authors explored the impact of a novel, interactive performing arts–based program on students’ writing skills. The program featured the Story Pirates, a group that teaches children how to write stories and then turns their stories into a musical sketch comedy show. Written stories from the third‐grade students in an elementary school were collected before and after the Story Pirates program and then compared to determine the impact of the program on students’ writing skills. The percentage of students incorporating key elements of writing—settings, main characters, additional characters, and motives—increased substantially after their participation in the Story Pirates program. These findings suggest that theatre‐based interventions may strengthen elementary students’ writing skills.