The Young Audience: Exploring and Enhancing Children's Experiences of Theatre

by Matthew Reason

Children’s theatre in the UK is thriving right now. Interest is growing in the educational, emotional and expressive benefits of theatre for young people; arguments about why children should watch theatre have become a central motif in debates about cultural policy and arts education. Yet, surprisingly, there has been almost no detailed and reflective research on these matters. While young children (aged 4-11) are increasingly provided for in terms of tailored theatre performances, the nature of children’s theatrical perceptions and their experiences of being in an audience has scarcely been investigated.

This book uses innovative visual-arts based audience research, practitioner interviews and contextual analysis to fill this gap in research and explore the nature of young children’s experiences of live theatre. It investigates three primary
* the cultural policy, educational and creative contexts in which theatre for children is made
* children’s aesthetic experiences of theatre
* the approaches through which children’s engagement with theatre can be enhanced, extended and deepened

Genres: Theatre

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2010

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had a lot of fascinating information int it. Unfortunately it took me months of stopping and starting to finish it, which has much more to do with me being out of practice when it comes to reading academic/research texts than anything else. I was reading it as a playwright, though it only deals peripherally with actual play content. It's really aimed at those who would be working with children who have seen a piece of theatre, including parents, teachers, arts educators, and theatre companies themselves. There's an interesting criticism of the standard "teacher's kit" many companies provide now, and a section of particular interest to those involved with puppetry. Well worth the read (and probably a more straight-through re-read for myself in the not too distant future).

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up after I heard several people mention this fantastic book at the International Performing Arts for Youth Showcase in Austin this year. This book examines how young people interpret their experiences at the theatre through qualitative inquiry. Matthew Reason's study used drawing and discussion to examine what children find most compelling when they see theatrical performances. This book is a revelation. Reason takes young people with utter seriousness and is careful to peel away the many layers of adult ideas imposed upon children before interpreting children's responses. This should be required reading for anyone working in professional children's theatre. Although it has many culturally specific references to theatre in the UK, I think these ideas could be adapted and transposed for those of us working in children's theatre in the US.