Interviews - The Stage: Under Purni Morell, London’s Unicorn is fast becoming a must- see-everything venue. There is not a new writing theatre in the country that would not envy the artists coming through its doors. On Morell’s watch, there have been new plays by David Grieg, John Donnelly and EV Crowe. Chuck in Chris Goode, Tim Crouch and Shunt founder member Hannah Ringham and, in the new season, a new Complicite show and two by Belgian radicals Ontroerend Goed and it is tempting to declare it wasted on the young.
3 comments:
There is a subtlety to what will appeal to what age of children, and theatres like this one which know their audience and set out not only to appropriately target shows to their demographics, but also to provide those groups with variety in style and form, are admirable. However, how can the typical theatre company (which produces a full mainstage season in addition to TYA offerings) incorporate some of the goals of the Unicorn? Perhaps understanding the makeup of children being brought to the shows is a start. One needs only to look at the standard blocks of programming on most childrens' television networks to show the need for a greater breakup of Theatre for Young Audiences demographics. If you are able to break up the crowd, then theatres can either rotate through the target markets (perhaps you can hit girls 6-10 with a fairytale show, then follow it up with a puppet or music show with broader appeal across older children) or, if you have the resources to do it, roll out a fully programmed season to augment your mainstage.
The idea of expanding the notion of TYA to include under-21s is a very interesting one - not many theatre companies consider the teenagers as their own market to attend alone (especially surprising considering their buying power as of late). You would need to expand the theatre experience to engage them, though - whether encouraging the space as a social venue, or beefing up the educational branch to get them engaged in classes/seminars centered around the shows.
It is wonderful to hear that someone is daring to take on such a daunting and yet rewarding challenge. I remember back when I was a little kid who loved theatre, I was taken to all the adult shows and only ever understood about half of what was going on, but paid close attention to the sparkly costumes and pretty lights that drew me in. It was rare that I got to go to a show that was targeted specifically to my age range, and when I did I definitely felt special. Once a year I would go to whatever was playing at the children's theater in Glen Echo, Washington, DC. But although I loved that, the magic of it only lasted so long until it had been outgrown. Therefore this project that dares to target so many different yet specific audiences has my full support and I hope that the children of this generation benefit from it.
I think many actors find children's theatre below them, but I think it would be rather difficult. It was interesting to hear how in Britain, adults look at children as adults, but in Europe, adults respect children as both adult and child. Here in the USA, I think we are headed in the wrong direction. We don't treat children seriously. We treat them as if they have no idea what is going on around them. As if they are stuck in their own little worlds, and we as adults envy and encourage that. However, I think children should be taken seriously but encouraged to imagine and dream. I see some children shows today, and it's as if the actors don't take the children seriously. They act as if they are talking to people who don't understand the simplest ideas. I think children should get the same quality in performances as adults do. Otherwise we would be saying that imagination is only for children. We need to show both children and adults that imagination is for people of all ages.
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