EDUC08040 2022 Theatre for Young Audiences
In this module, students will be introduced to the genre of theatre for children and young people, through live theatre performances and meeting theatre artists.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the learner will/should be able to;
Analyse critical conversations in TYA
Discuss theatrical work produced for young audiences in Ireland 
Engage in, interpret, and analyse their experiences of live theatre for young audiences
Express through a variety of media their experiences of a TYA performance
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Flipped Classroom, Workshops, Conference Attendance, Theatre Outings, Seminars.
Module Assessment Strategies
The required citation style for this module is Modern Language Association (MLA).
Students will be assessed through:
1) A Written Performance Analysis, which is completed after they have been to the theatre. The submission week will depend on the theatre work that is programmed for that theatre season. It will not be any later than week 6.
2) Student-led Seminars - At different stages and in different weeks during the module, students will be asked to lead the class by sharing their new knowledge gained from conference attendance. The weeks of the student-led seminars will depend on when the TYA conference is being held. Students will not be presenting every week.
3) A Creative Installation - This work is connected to the performance analysis. The students create work for a student showcase. This is held in Week 12.
Repeat Assessments
Repeat Project (Written).
Indicative Syllabus
The student will be able to:
- Analyse critical conversations in TYA
Students will attend Baboro, the International Arts Festival for Children, either online and/or in-person, to tune in to critical conversations that are taking place around TYA internationally. This is a shifting and evolving landscape, but these might include for example: creating theatre for children with complex needs, children as participants in immersive work, cultural representation on the TYA stage.
2. Discuss theatrical work produced for young audiences in Ireland 
Presented as a series of seminars by professionals from the TYA industry, students will broaden their knowledge of who is making work for audiences, the kind of work that is being made, how it is made and the inspiration behind the work. This will give students a greater understanding of the current state of play of the professional industry in Ireland and an opportunity to dialogue with those who are driving it.
3. Engage in, interpret, and analyse their experiences of live theatre for young audiences
Students will attend live TYA performances so that they can experience the genre first hand. They will work with a system of performance analysis, in order to interpret and analyse their experiences.
4. Express through a variety of media their experiences of a TYA performance
The creative installation will be the medium through which students will creatively respond to their participation in, interpretation and perception of a live theatre experience This will happen through a selection of the following: art-making, performance, sound, visual, object, text.
Coursework & Assessment Breakdown
Coursework Assessment
Title | Type | Form | Percent | Week | Learning Outcomes Assessed | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Student-Led Seminars | Coursework Assessment | Assessment | 20 % | OnGoing | 1,2 |
2 | Creative Installation | Project | Assessment | 40 % | Week 12 | 4 |
3 | Performance Analysis | Formative | Written Report/Essay | 40 % | Week 6 | 3 |
Full Time Mode Workload
Type | Location | Description | Hours | Frequency | Avg Workload |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Workshop / Seminar | Flat Classroom | Seminar | 3 | Weekly | 3.00 |
Independent Learning | Not Specified | Independent Learning | 3 | Weekly | 3.00 |
Required & Recommended Book List
2013-03-13 Theatre for Young Audiences: A Critical Handbook Trentham Books
ISBN 1858565014 ISBN-13 9781858565019
One of the UKs most distinctive areas of arts practice is theatre for young audiences. This edited collection gathers together new and original work on the topics, practices and critical perspectives which characterize theatre for the young. It features chapters on theatre and ownership, active spectatorship and audience interaction. Others focus on specific audiences such as children and young people with profound disabilities or nonverbal audiences. A chapter looks at creative methods such as using childs play to create plays for children; another considers how to develop our understanding about childrens perception of theatre created for them through interviewing them and studying their drawings. Other chapters discuss how to connect teenagers with Shakespeares work; how theatre can engage with children in a globalized multicultural society; the current status of Theatre in Education in the UK; and the work staged by the National Theatre for young audiences.
This wide range of topics will appeal to academics, students and theatre practitioners working within the growing field of theatre for the young. For educators interested in the benefits of school-related theatre visits and the young audiences engagement with performances created specifically for them, this book is a rich source of information.
The contributors include Gill Brigg, David Broster, Dominic Hingorani, Jeanne Klein Geoffrey Readman, James Reynolds, Matthew Reason, Peter Wynne-Willson, Jan Wozniak and Oily Carts Tim Webb.
2010 The Young Audience: Exploring and Enhancing Childrens Experiences of Theatre Trentham Books Ltd
2005 Young Audiences and Live Theatre: An Investigation into Perceptions of Live Performance York St John University
2006 Theatre as a Medium for Children and Young People: Images and Observations Dordrecht: Springer
1981 Audience Participation: Theatre for Young People Walter H Baker Co.
Module Resources
http://theatrefutures.org.uk/theatre-for-young-audiences-centre/archive-resources/scypt-journals-database/
Klein, Jeanne. ‘From Children’s Perspectives: A Model of Aesthetic Processing in Theatre’ Journal of Aesthetic Education Vol. 39, No. 4 (2005) pp 40-57
Klein, Jeanne. ‘Reading Empathy in a Québécois Play: Crying to Laugh,’ Theatre Research in Canada / Recherches théâtrales au Canada Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 1994) Available to read at: http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/TRIC/article/view/7214/8273
Reason, Matthew. Did You Watch the Man or Did You Watch the Goose? Children’s Responses to Puppets in Live Theatre. New Theatre Quarterly, 24, (2008) pp. 337-354. Available at:http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=2690240
Reason, Matthew. ‘Thinking Theatre: Enhancing Children’s Theatrical Experiences Through Philosophical Enquiry’ in childhood & philosophy, Vol. 4, No. 7 (2008) Available to read at: http://www.filoeduc.org/childphilo/n7/matthew_reason.pdf
Fletcher-Watson, Ben. ‘Seen and not heard: participation as tyranny in Theatre for Early Years’, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, Vol. 20, No. 1 (2015) pp.24-38.
Fletcher-Watson, Ben, Sue Fletcher-Watson, Marie Jeanne McNaughton and Anna Birch, ‘From cradle to stage: how Early Years performing arts experiences are tailored to the developmental capabilities of babies and toddlers’, Youth Theatre Journal, 28, No. 2 (2014) pp.130-146.
Fletcher-Watson, Ben, ‘Child’s Play: a postdramatic theatre of paidia for the very young’, PLATFORM, Vol. 7, No. 2 (2013) pp.14-31.
Fletcher-Watson, Ben, ‘Towards a Grounded Dramaturgy: using Grounded Theory to interrogate performance practices in Theatre for Early Years’, Youth Theatre Journal, Vol. 27, No. 2 (2013) pp.130-138.
Heinemann, Caroline. ‘Changing Spaces: A Theatrical Intervention in Nursery Schools’, Youth Theatre Journal. Vol. 27, No 2 (2013) pp.147 – 152.
Hanson, Nicholas. ‘Back to the Books: Evaluating the Economic Factors behind Literature-based Theatre for Young Audiences Productions’ in The Lion and the Unicorn, Vol. 36, No. 2 (April 2012) pp. 193-208
As a 5 credit module, the total student independent effort hours for this module are 3 hours per week.