Proceedings of the International scientific and practical conference ― Cambridge Science and Education Conference‖ (February 23-25, 2026) / Publisher website: www.naukainfo.com. – Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2026. - 289 p.

287 At the present stage, theater pedagogy is used both in specialized training of actors (stage skills) and as a universal tool in general education for the formation of competencies. It turns learning into a creative process, involving emotions, costumes, music and play. According to scientists, theater pedagogy is a modern educational approach that integrates the means, methods and techniques of theater art into the educational process. This is not just teaching acting skills, but a way to form a comprehensively developed personality through play, action and emotional experience. The main directions of theater pedagogy are also distinguished at the current stage of development: 1) Educational direction (social and pedagogical); 2) Spiritual and moral education: studying cultural heritage, folk rituals, staging folk tales. 3) Civic and patriotic education: staging patriotic plots, lessons of courage, analysis of the actions of heroes. 4) Socialization and inclusion: overcoming barriers (age, physical, mental) through play and the absence of hierarchy, which helps to integrate people into society. 5) Developmental direction (psychological and pedagogical); 6) Development of emotional intelligence: acting trainings that help manage one's own emotions and understand others. 7) Intellectual development: games to develop memory, attention, fantasy, imagination. 8) Creative development: self-expression of personality through productive theatrical activities. At the beginning of the 21st century, a new direction deserves attention - theater pedagogy as an independent branch of education, which uses the methods of theatrical art (play, improvisation, etudes) for the comprehensive development of the personality, overcoming social and mental barriers. It develops empathy, creative abilities, memory, speech and emotional intelligence, turning learning into an exciting process. Thus, the main aspects of theater pedagogy are the following: 1) Learning through play: The main principle that relieves tension, develops imagination and allows you to learn knowledge in a natural way. 2) Socialization and inclusion: theater teachers help overcome age, physical and mental barriers, uniting people. 3) Personality development: theater teaches you to manage emotions, feel your body, develops memory and thinking. 4) Creative productivity: includes theatrical games,