Browsing by Subject "Theatre for young audiences"
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Item Community-engaged dramaturgy : the role of young audiences in New Work development(2015-05) Pederson, Meredyth Franzoni; Alrutz, Megan; Carlson, Andrew; Engelman, ElizabethTheatre for young audiences (TYA) is a field defined by its intergenerational audiences, and TYA artists have the responsibility to engage this target audience as active participants at all stages of the creative process. While young people have opportunities to act as artistic agents in the related areas of youth theatre and theatre education, where their participation is the focus of the work, TYA needs to further explore the role of young people in professional theatre-making spaces. Building on emerging scholarship and practices of involving young people in new play development, this thesis documents significant current practices and examines the collaboration between first grade students and theatre artists at UT Austin in depth. The findings in this thesis invite TYA artists and scholars to consider how intergenerational collaboration affects new work development process and product and create space for youth to influence the theatre adult artists create with and for them in TYA.Item Connecting theatre for young audiences and community engagement: allowing the issue of bullying in Louis Sachar's There's a boy in the girls' bathroom to ignite dialogue and inform production(2010-05) Fahey, Brian Carr; Jennings, Coleman A., 1933-; Alrutz, Megan; Bonin-Rodriguez, PaulThis thesis presents a reflection on directing There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by examining the relationship between the production and community engagement developed for it. It details the process of connecting theatre for young audiences (TYA) and community engagement and discusses how the project that resulted inspired a dialogue concerning bullying. This document addresses these questions: What is the relationship between TYA and community engagement and how can they be closely connected? How can community engagement inform the production of a play for young audiences? This document explores how collaborative partnerships with student audiences and teachers inspired dialogue and influenced production choices. It discusses how participation in multiple community engagement activities resulted in a rich experience for both actors and audience. It includes a discussion about how the work might be translated outside of the university and concludes with reflective practices for connecting TYA and community engagement.Item Digging holes : Milwaukee youth's response to socially and politically driven theatre(2016-05) Bridges, Margaret Wade; Adejumo, Christopher O., 1959-; Faria, CarolineThis study considers the impacts of First Stage Children’s Theatre’s 2004 production of Holes on the community in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The goal of this research is to investigate the relationship between political engagement and youth theatre impact in the Milwaukee community over the past 12 years. It also considers how the First Stage production of Holes in 2004 leveraged its positionality to advance discourse around controversial, social justice topics. This study was conducted in collaboration with First Stage Children’s Theatre, located in Milwaukee, WI. It was designed to understand impact between the theatre’s 2004 production and its youth audiences. Consequently, it integrated various perspectives from both the theatre company and the broader Milwaukee community. Utilizing qualitative research and a case-study, this study was conducted through interviews and a group workshop with First Stage staff as well as audience members who attended the 2004 production. I also looked forward to the 2016 production in order to gauge a comparative, longitudinal approach to understanding perceptions of change in political and social justice issues. The results reveal how First Stage Children’s Theatre positioned themselves as a prominent, cultural organization and utilized that power to craft a meaningful narrative. This study includes a multi-layered analysis that looks at both the organization’s structural success as well as their approaches specifically for Holes. Through the story of Holes, First Stage was able to examine the politics of the juvenile justice system, a controversial social and political concern in Milwaukee. I argue that First Stage Children’s Theatre was a space that allowed audiences to critically consider their own perceptions around the politics of race in the juvenile justice system and encouraged these audiences to be more empathetic to all participants within this system.Item Feminist performance pedagogy : theatre for youth and social justice(2013-05) Freeman, Emily Rachael; Alrutz, MeganThis thesis describes the use of feminist performance pedagogy in working toward a Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) practice that engages youth in social justice. Drawing on feminist and pedagogical theories, this document explores the processes of writing, rehearsing, and touring a new social justice play for youth called 'And Then Came Tango.' The qualitative study outlined in this MFA thesis uses feminist research methodologies to analyze the engagement of the playwright, the artistic team working on the production of 'And Then Came Tango,' and the second and third grade audiences that participated in the touring production and post-show workshops. The author weaves personal story throughout the document in order to create new meaning around the research experiences as well as to illustrate the personal dimensions of engaging in the struggle around LGBTQ injustice. The discussion invites future artists, educators, and activists to imagine how theory, aesthetics, artists, and communities collaborate in order to work toward socially just and interactive TYA.Item The many forms of theatre for the very young : a look into development processes(2013-05) Corey, Bethany Lynn; Schroeder-Arce, RoxanneAs Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) has only begun to be produced in the United States within the past 10 years, little is written about how the work is being developed and produced. This thesis serves to acknowledge the impact international TVY practice has on US work while simultaneously providing insight into development processes. This document questions: What goals, considerations and limitations exist when developing TVY? Who is currently creating TVY? How does the context for the creation of a piece influence the development process and the product? Within this thesis I examine the processes of current TVY practitioners and identity three different organizational structures where TVY is currently being created. I also cite examples from TVY development processes I have engaged in within each organizational structure. Finally, I name how engaging with and in TVY has impacted my evolution as a TVY practitioner.Item Toward global theatre for young audiences : the potential of international TYA to increase the global consciousness of young audiences in the United States(2012-08) Chusid, Abra Helene; Jennings, Coleman A., 1933-; Schroeder-Arce, Roxanne; Kovac, Kim PeterThis thesis document provides an historical overview of the internationalization of theatre for young audiences (TYA) in the United States, which has been largely influenced by international populations and organizations since the early 1900’s. Contemporary practices and theories of international education are examined in order to consider its intersections with international TYA. Emphasizing Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and the research of established and emerging TYA scholars, I examine international TYA’s potential to increase the global consciousness of young audiences in the U.S. Through developing global sensitivity, global understanding, and global self (Veronica Boix Mansilla and Howard Gardner’s three components of global consciousness), international TYA presents diverse cultures and stories to young audiences, potentially dispelling stereotyping and ethnocentrism, promoting a global consciousness through theatre’s provocation of empathy.