Theatre is that art form most dramatically akin to life before electricity and the mechanical tools that now characterize most other modes of communication. We are still mammalian and still concerned with basic principles of reciprocity and interaction; theatre permits people to display emotions in front of others. (Author/GC)

Survey results indicate (1) steady growth of college and university theater departments doing "something" for children or offering courses in child drama; (2) once a department offers courses and productions, it tends to develop more comprehensive programs; and (3) increasingly, programs reflect the growing breadth and depth of the field. (PD)

This article describes the experience of Texas Tech University in its attempts to implement an interdisciplinary doctoral program in the fine arts. Results are presented of a survey taken of students graduating with a PhD in Fine Arts during the ten years the program has existed. (CJ)

Four papers focus on school programs for gifted and talented students. (CL)

Describes a high-school theater-arts course which adapts a traditional children's story for presentation at local elementary schools. Participation is based on interest and commitment and results in an awareness of the rights and needs of others, development of diverse approaches to problem-solving, and reinforcement of personal responsibility.…

Introduces a letter written by Eugene Ionesco in answer to questions on the interpretation of his plays. In his letter Ionesco discusses the creative process as a blend of ideological and emotional motifs, seen, respectively, as the expression of the conscious and the unconscious (or subconscious) mind. (MES)

Notes that interaction between writers and interpreters can improve a sometimes tenuous relationship. Provides classroom assignments, performance activities, and workshops to promote interaction and understanding. (PD)

Overviews the history of storytelling and describes the development and past activities of the In-School Players of Montgomery County, a unit of Maryland's Adventure Theatre, which produces original plays from folklore materials and performs them for elementary school students. (RH)

Describes programs for the gifted: visual and performing arts for secondary students, enrichment for rural elementary students, and a learning center elementary enrichment program. NOTE: includes "INTERARTS: The High School Program for the Talented in the Arts" by Barbara Luehning, "Spice" by Jane V. Salisbury, and "Learning Center Enrichment…

Discusses three issues relevant to adolescent heroines in high school theater productions: the need to consider the role model presented by the character being portrayed; the need to focus on the sociodramatic issues of the production; and the need for consciousness-raising among teachers. (JMF)

Discusses ERIC documents pertaining to oral reading instruction. (FL)

Recounts the difficulties and ultimate success of a production of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" by fifth-and sixth-grade students. (RL)

The article describes C. Taylor's "multiple talent" approach for gifted children which states that schools have traditionally tapped only one type of talent, academic, and that many more children would have a chance to excel if schools increased emphasis on other areas. (PHR)

This section consists of six essays dealing with: (1) current trends in French linguistics; (2) French possessive pronouns; (3) contemporary French novelists; (4) "happiness" in France; (5) the Belgian playwright Michel Ghelderode; and (6) the pedagogical use of popular songs. (AM)

The licensing for public performance of copyrighted musical compositions by a performing rights society to the television industry is examined. Focus is on the antitrust problems of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the most recent litigation, CBS vs ASCAP. (JMD)