Dramatic Play is one of the sixteen ‘play types’ defined by British Playworker Bob Hughes in his 2002 Taxonomy of Play Types.
On the surface, Dramatic Play may seem to be primarily around dressing up and imagined fantasy roles, yet there is another element that differentiates it from other similar pretend based Play Types – playing to an audience.
In this respect, you could say that Dramatic Play is not really a form of pretend play at all as there is a ‘real world’ element to it in the form of the essential audience. This should not be confused with the need for a stage or ‘performance area’ and a formally gathered audience, though – the key here is adopting a role and ‘playing up’ to the people who just happen to be around. As well as the stage stuff.
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See also Bob Hughes, The Play Types,
