This paper examines some of the issues involved in developing effective
young audience education programs in professional theatre. Young people
rarely attend the theatre outside of their exposure to theatre-in-education
(TIE) or theatre for young audiences (TYA). However, students can develop
both their theatre-going skills and their emerging theatre artistry through
theatre-based education programs structured around a specific set of conditions
and processes. These conditions/processes include cooperative partnership,
genuine interactivity, privileged access, de-mystification, volunteerism
and a strong focus on personal/social relevancy. When all of these conditions
are in place students have the opportunity, through repeated pleasurable
and rewarding experiences and sense of critical/aesthetic abilities, to
develop a habitual personal theatregoing disposition. This paper will share
the strategies used in Belfry 101, a young audience education program at
Victoria's Belfry Theatre. This program, currently in its third season,
has been built around this audience education model and has achieved significant
recognition and success. Evaluative data gathered as part of a thesis study
at the University of Victoria show students' growing sense of efficacy
as theatre artists and theatre-goers.
05/28: 0930