Is it true that young drama practitioners are more creative and have a higher emotional intelligence?

•The period of time involved in drama activities is a key factor when evaluating its impact on creative development.•Adolescents with drama experience show higher levels of fluency, flexibility, originality and self-perceived creativity.•Adolescents with longer drama experience don’t show higher levels of socio-emotional skills.•Adolescents who see themselves as more creative also show a higher capacity to adapt to change. Drama studies can provide adolescents and young adults with learning opportunities that can help them to develop creative and socio-emotional skills. In interviews and discussion groups, when given the opportunity to talk about their experiences, young drama students explain the creative and emotional benefits they feel they have received from their participation in the arts. This research study investigates whether engagement, and particularly engagement over time, in drama is significant in stimulating creative and socio-emotionally intelligent behaviour in young people. It compares the creative and socio-emotional levels of adolescents and young adults who participate in drama studies routinely, to both those who have participated for two years or less and those who have no experience in this field. The research sample comprised 222 young people between the ages of 13 and 21. Findings analysed for this sample suggest that, those who have taken part in drama studies for two years or more develop higher levels of fluency, flexibility, originality and self-perceived creativity than those whose participation is less or nil. No significant differences in socio-emotional skills were noted in relation to different degrees of participation. The results are discussed in relation to the benefits that participation in drama activities can have for the development of skills during a key stage of life for young adults, replete with challenges.