Young Audiences, Theatre and the Cultural Conversation PDF
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Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education 12 John O’Toole · Ricci-Jane Adams Michael Anderson · Bruce Burton Robyn Ewing Editors Young Audiences, Theatre and the Cultural Conversation Young Audiences, Theatre and the Cultural Conversation Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education VOLUME 12 SERIES EDITOR Liora Bresler, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.A. EDITORIAL BOARD Eeva Antilla, Theatre Academy, Helsinki, Finland Magne Espeland, Stord University, Norway Chris Higgins, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.A. Rita Irwin, The University of British Columbia, Canada Samuel Leong, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong Minette Mans, International Consultant, Windhoek, Namibia Mike Parsons, The Ohio State University, U.S.A. Eva Sæther, Lund University, Malmö Academy of Music, Sweden Shifra Schonmann, University of Haifa, Israel Julian Sefton-Green, University of Nottingham, UK Susan W. Stinson, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, U.S.A. Christine Thompson, Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A. SCOPE This series aims to provide conceptual and empirical research in arts education, (including music, visual arts, drama, dance, media, and poetry), in a variety of areas related to the post-modern paradigm shift. The changing cultural, historical, and political contexts of arts education are recognized to be central to learning, experience, and knowledge. The books in this series present theories and methodological approaches used in arts education research as well as related disciplines – including philosophy, sociology, anthropology and psychology of arts education. For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/6199 John O’Toole (cid:129) Ricci-Jane Adams Michael Anderson (cid:129) Bruce Burton Robyn Ewing Editors Young Audiences, Theatre and the Cultural Conversation Editors John O’Toole Ricci-Jane Adams Melbourne Graduate School of Education Melbourne Graduate School of Education The University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne Michael Anderson Bruce Burton Faculty of Education and Social Work School of Education and Professional The University of Sydney Studies Griffi th University, Queensland Robyn Ewing Faculty of Education and Social Work The University of Sydney ISSN 1573-4528 ISSN 2214-0069 (electronic) ISBN 978-94-007-7608-1 ISBN 978-94-007-7609-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7609-8 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London Library of Congress Control Number: 2013957420 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2014 T his work is subject to copyright. 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Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Foreword Theatre and Young Audiences T o begin on a fl ippant note, I can’t help but feel that the editors of this excellent book could have saved themselves a lot of time and effort if they had simply inter- viewed me and not bothered talking to anyone else. I say this because the bulk of their assessments coincide directly with my personal experience over a lifetime’s involvement in live theatre. That’s just another way of endorsing the veracity of their fi ndings after so much thorough research. I t is very reassuring to know that, on the whole, young people are still turned on by the l iveness and immediacy of the theatre experience, despite the plethora of digi- tal distractions, the tsunami of social media and other pop culture alternatives. As the research confi rms, most of us who have devoted our lives to theatre can testify to the enthusiasm of grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles in introducing us to our fi rst outings to the theatre: in my own case, every Arts Council tour to the Maitland Town Hall found my family in the audience. Moreover, I was extremely fortunate that the all-boys school I attended, one that was devoted to football and cricket, gave me not just one but two inspiring teachers; men who loved theatre, poetry and Shakespeare. Both of them encouraged my love of drama and the second of them even produced the school’s one-and-only Play Night just so that I could strut my stuff. He also mapped out a career path for me and actively encouraged my aspirations to be a professional actor. I concur with the project’s fi nding regarding the importance of schools and teachers. From all my work in schools over the last 23 years with Bell Shakespeare, I have no doubt at all that individual teachers are either the bearers of the fl ame or a crippling negative infl uence when it comes to students’ appreciation of the Arts. The research is very interesting in its assessment of the importance of venue in the overall theatre experience: not just the building itself but the atmosphere inside it and the way students are made to feel welcome – or not. From my early childhood I well remember my two favourite theatre venues in Newcastle. One was the Civic Theatre, which still fi lls me with waves of nostalgia and delight. It retains its magic as a kind of Aladdin’s Cave – all gilt mirrors, backlit grottoes and swags of red vel- vet giving a general impression of Los Angeles Baroque. This is a place you go to v vi Foreword escape the real world and lose yourself in fantasy… The other venue couldn’t be more different: Sorlie’s travelling tent show; a rough-as-bags environment of canvas and sawdust, sweat and sequins, where you sat on rough planks and hissed the vil- lain. It’s hard to recall any theatre experience as visceral and heart-stopping as those pantomimes I saw as a 5-year-old in Sorlie’s tent. By way of contrast, there’s something about many of our modern Arts Centres and community theatre buildings that demands a lot of energy to counteract an inherent sterility. One’s heart does not leap up with expectation on entering them. In my opinion, things have got a lot harder over the last 20 years for teachers trying to organise excursions to the theatre. The extra pressures of time and the increase in red tape act as a deterrent to many teachers. All the more credit then to those who grapple with the disincentives and undertake long bus or train trips with their students. It is a testament to their dedication and generosity that they persist. Theatre companies are currently devoting a lot of energy to providing on-line services, live streaming and social media intercourse as a way of engaging with students, breaking down barriers and making them feel part of the creative process, not just passive audience members. Bell Shakespeare sends arts educators out on the road ahead of our national touring productions to give students an introduction and practical workshops on the play they are going to see. We encourage young people to perform Shakespeare and to the most promising ones we give scholarships to bring them to Sydney for a week to work with the Company. This programme is targeted at remote parts of the country. In a similar vein, we bring 12 teachers each year from remote areas to work with us for a week in our rehearsal room, exploring ways to communicate Shakespeare in the classroom. These paradigms can be applied to all forms of theatre, not just Shakespeare. I agree with the fi ndings of the research that, in order to win and sustain new audiences, theatre companies must do all they can to de-mystify the theatre-going experience, make students feel welcome and offer them as much pre-show informa- tion as they need to feel comfortable with the show they are going to see and confi - dent that they will know how to respond. ‘Theatre Literacy’ is a very useful term to encompass the above concerns, and theatre protocol should naturally follow once the students know the rules of the game. It is often noted how senior students in particular are much more responsive and comfortable when attending an evening performance for the general public rather than being herded into a school matinee. In the former situation they feel more inclined to behave like the adults around them because they are treated like adults. In the matinee situation, if they feel conde- scended to or barely tolerated, it is small wonder if they adopt a herd mentality and a negative attitude – if you treat us like kids, we’ll act like kids. A s John O’Toole says in Chap. 1 of this book, many of the project’s fi ndings came as no surprise. They tend to confi rm widely-held beliefs in the theatre indus- try. It is reassuring for us practitioners to know that our own research over many years, the anecdotal evidence and our own gut-instincts have not been wide of the mark. Foreword vii But the research is also worth studying for the case histories it provides and the number of key fi ndings that challenge accepted wisdom and point the way for theatre companies to plan their audience-building strategies for the future. The TheatreSpace project is to be commended as the fi rst methodical and exhaus- tive study of what brings young audiences to theatre and what turns them off. As such, it is an invaluable resource for those theatre companies (and other arts organ- isations) that wish to survive the twenty-fi rst century. August 2013 John Bell Director, Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Young audiences engage with theatre Courtesy of Malthouse Theatre Company Melbourne: The Malthouse Foyer Photography by Malthouse Theatre. [NB The Theatre Space Research Project obtained permission from all the young people for these photographs which are also used in the research project report] ix
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