This thesis details -in personal narrative form- the process by which the author directed a production of Elizabeth Wong's Amazing Adventures of the Marvelous Monkey King at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in Miami, Florida. The following text explains elements of pre-production, presents relevant research associated with the play, describes the production process in detail, and states conclusions drawn by the author about the experience. The work challenged both the ensemble and the director to seek new avenues of expression and theatricality different from those traditionally explored in their respective educational settings.

The Swedish professional theatre for children and young audiences is in a constant change, development and renewal due to adulthoods shifting view and understanding of the child and childhood through the ages. The shifting discourse of childhood can be seen both in the various theatre performances for children and young audiences throughout the 20th century, but also in the constant shifting discussions and debates about what sort of performances are appropriate for children. The base of this thesis is a performance analysis of a recorded version of Unga Klara’s För att jag säger det from a gender perspective, with a focus on the stage setting and the mise-en-scène, along with the actors’ performative actions. The purpose is to examine if and how these theatrical signs counteracts or correlates with gender and hetero norms, but also investigate if the complex relationship between childhood and adulthood can be seen in the performance. To do this, I use a combination of hermeneutics, theatre semiotics and phenomenology as my main methodological starting point. Theories about gender performativity and discourse analysis in childhood studies serve as perspectives to the analysis and interpretation of the performance. The analysis starts with a brief introduction to the performance along with a discussion about the dramaturgical structure and the course of events and situations taking place in För att jag säger det. The analysis continues with a discussion about the theatrical space, in particular the stage space in relation to the starting point of the performance, along with the theatrical communication between the actors and the audience. Then, I discuss the theatrical signs that first caught my attention; the actors’ performative bodies and the music and stage sounds, where I analyse my comprehension of the actors’ performative bodies from a gender perspective. The analysis then continues to a more argument based interpretation of the interactions between the actors and the audience, and follows by a discussion of the actors impersonation of childhood and adulthood. In the last part of the analysis I identify and discuss my understanding of various themes and messages in För att jag säger det. The result of the study implies that a few sequences of the staging along with the actors’ performative bodies in För att jag säger det correlates to gender and hetero norms, but mostly the performance discourages normativity in general. The complex relationship between childhood and adulthood are however well established in the performance’s staging, and can be found in how the actors portraits childhood versus adulthood. It is also visible in the interactive communicational parts between the stage and the auditorium, which only occurs under the terms and conditions of the actors.

As an artist in the field of theatre for young audiences, I encounter many definitions of 'teaching artist,' and within each definition lies a new set of physical, educational, and psychological responsibilities. While the term 'teaching artist' continues to evolve and grow, I am interested in exploring a common struggle among teaching artists: What does it mean to be an ethical and responsible teaching artist? This thesis allows me to create a personal definition of 'teaching artist' while exploring the relationship between responsibility, ethics, and community-based teaching. I begin by formulating my current understanding and beliefs about what it means to be a responsible teaching artist. I research how others in the TYA field, specifically Michael Rohd, Stephani Etheridge Woodson and Barbara McKean have dealt with issues of ethics and responsibility through four specific questions: How does my personal culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, and beliefs positively or negatively affect the work I do with young people? How does a teaching artist manage an environment in which there are inherently therapeutic qualities, without stepping into the role of therapist, and maintain a healthy relationship with the young people and the work? How do teaching artists maneuver through a structure where the ideologies of the teacher are guiding the project on a macro level but not a micro level? Is it possible or necessary to share responsibility with young people? As a reflective artist I can't help but question, challenge, and rethink choices I make in facilitation. I would venture to say it would be irresponsible not to do so. I am hopeful this exploration will not only improve my personal teaching but also allow and inspire others to take a look at their practice in terms of ethics and responsibility.

True Colors: Out Youth Theater at The Theater Offensive is a Boston based program that focuses its theatrical and social mission on engaging Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered (GLBT) at-risk, youth and the community that surrounds them. Through the process of generating an original touring production, True Colors employs theatre as a tool for personal, social, and artistic expression, empowerment, and activism. The program's balance of both process and product focused goals creates an environment of multifaceted engagement and provides an example of how art can thrive in a structure of youth outreach. Though directors and facilitators guide the process and final product, a fundamental mission of True Colors is to provide a student or youth-centered experience where inspiration, decisions, discussions, and leadership generates directly from participants. By observing and participating in the creation of one of these productions, I explore the impact of this student-centered structure on the personal perspectives and artistic growth of the GLBT participants and the artistic process of creating the production. My goal is to discover True Colors' effectiveness of achieving its mission to both create an impactful and positive process for the youth and also develop a final product that is artful and evokes social change. Additionally, by studying similar programs, I establish a basis of comparison against True Colors in order to develop a broader view of the field and evaluate the variances in methodology and the impact on youth and communities.

When directors in professional Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) practice inclusive casting, or, in other words, cast an actor with a disability in a role that is not written with a disability, several provocative questions emerge: What are the social implications of inclusive casting? How might stories on stage change due to inclusive casting? What does inclusive casting mean for professional TYA companies and directors? How might performers with disabilities examine their personal and professional relationship to disability when participating in inclusive casting? How might a young audience’s perspective change when inclusive casting is implemented? This thesis examines these questions through interviews with directors, performers, and young audience members. / text

Le théâtre pour la jeunesse est un théâtre de recherche où se redéfinissent à chaque fois le désir et les modalités d’une rencontre entre des créateurs et un public spécifique. Notre thèse met en lumière la construction historique de ce théâtre en France et en Italie et donne à comprendre les expérimentations menées par les pionniers du domaine. Elle se concentre sur l’apparition d’un nouveau protagoniste du champ théâtral, l’enfant, et cherche à savoir si celui-ci se situe bien au cœur des processus de création. Dans une première partie, nous soulignons le rôle déterminant qu’a joué l’animation théâtrale au tournant des années 1960-1970. De la France à l’Italie, on voit se transmettre l’idée d’une transition naturelle entre expérience artistique avec les jeunes et œuvre dramatique à leur intention ; en identifiant l’enfant comme partenaire possible de la création, l’animation préfigure la naissance de formes esthétiques nouvelles adressées aux jeunes spectateurs. Dans une deuxième partie, nous montrons comment, des années 1980 à nos jours, la recherche artistique s’est cristallisée sur l’enfant spectateur, cible spécifique des metteurs en scène et des dramaturges. Tout en réfléchissant aux conditions de son émancipation, les artistes s’approprient des matériaux textuels parfois inattendus ; un chemin peut se dessiner de l’adaptation à la création. En France, on assiste à l’émergence d’un répertoire dramatique qui appartient aujourd’hui de plein droit à la littérature de jeunesse, tandis que, dans les deux pays, l’enfant personnage conquiert sa place dans les textes et sur les scènes. Une relation spéculaire peut ainsi s’instaurer entre l’enfant spectateur et son double. / Theatre for young people is experimental—the desire for and the modalities of an encounter between creators and a specific audience undergo redefinition with each performance. This PhD thesis sheds light on how theatre for young people came to be in France and Italy throughout history, as well as on the experiments carried out by the pioneers in the field. The focus is on the emergence of the child as a new protagonist within the theatrical field and on attempting to determine whether he indeed lies at the core of the creative process. In the first part, the emphasis is on the significance of the role of theatrical animation at the turn of the 1960s. The idea of a natural transition from artistic experiences involving young people to theatrical works designed for them was passed on from France to Italy ; by identifying the child as a potential partner in the creative process, theatrical animation prefigured the onset of new aesthetic forms directed to young audiences. In the second part, the aim is to show how artistic research has been crystallizing on the child as a spectator, who has become a specific target for stage directors and playwrights from the 1980s onwards. While reflecting on how to emancipate him, artists have taken ownership of various textual materials—some of which unexpected—and a path can therefore be traced from adaptation to creation. In France, a theatrical repertoire which belongs to youth literature in its own right has been emerging. At the same time, in both countries, the child as a character has been earning his way in play scripts and on stages. Thus, a specular relationship can be established between the child as a spectator and his double.

Experienced by thousands of children every year, professional theatre for young audiences TYA) is still a relatively new and understudied phenomenon in Canada. The purpose of this research has been to learn why teachers bring their students to the theatre, specifically Young People’s Theatre (YPT), and to determine how these connect to the perceptions of those who work at and with the theatre. In order to understand the complexities of the impetus to bring students to YPT, the limitations and successes teachers encounter in doing so, this ethnographic study was situated at the intersection of spatial and curriculum theories and has included surveys, interviews and participatory observation. This research provides greater understanding of the challenges and benefits of including theatre-going in one’s educational repertoire. These new insights contribute to contemporary scholarship on aesthetic education and arts-based community building and provide opportunities for further research about teaching and learning through theatre.

Experienced by thousands of children every year, professional theatre for young audiences TYA) is still a relatively new and understudied phenomenon in Canada. The purpose of this research has been to learn why teachers bring their students to the theatre, specifically Young People’s Theatre (YPT), and to determine how these connect to the perceptions of those who work at and with the theatre. In order to understand the complexities of the impetus to bring students to YPT, the limitations and successes teachers encounter in doing so, this ethnographic study was situated at the intersection of spatial and curriculum theories and has included surveys, interviews and participatory observation. This research provides greater understanding of the challenges and benefits of including theatre-going in one’s educational repertoire. These new insights contribute to contemporary scholarship on aesthetic education and arts-based community building and provide opportunities for further research about teaching and learning through theatre.

This 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. / text

CHILDHOOD REVOLUTION AT UNGA KLARA - A performance analysis of ’För att jag säger det’ from a gender perspective LINNÉA WÄISÄNEN Abstract The Swedish professional theatre for children and young audiences is in a constant change, development and renewal due to adulthoods shifting view and understanding of the child and childhood through the ages. The shifting discourse of childhood can be seen both in the various theatre performances for children and young audiences throughout the 20th century, but also in the constant shifting discussions and debates about what sort of performances are appropriate for children. The base of this thesis is a performance analysis of a recorded version of Unga Klara’s För att jag säger det from a gender perspective, with a focus on the stage setting and the mise-en-scène, along with the actors’ performative actions. The purpose is to examine if and how these theatrical signs counteracts or correlates with gender and hetero norms, but also investigate if the complex relationship between childhood and adulthood can be seen in the performance. To do this, I use a combination of hermeneutics, theatre semiotics and phenomenology as my main methodological starting point. Theories about gender performativity and discourse analysis in childhood studies serve as perspectives to the analysis and interpretation of the performance. The analysis starts with a brief introduction to the performance along with a discussion about the dramaturgical structure and the course of events and situations taking place in För att jag säger det. The analysis continues with a discussion about the theatrical space, in particular the stage space in relation to the starting point of the performance, along with the theatrical communication between the actors and the audience. Then, I discuss the theatrical signs that first caught my attention; the actors’ performative bodies and the music and stage sounds, where I analyse my comprehension of the actors’ performative bodies from a gender perspective. The analysis then continues to a more argument based interpretation of the interactions between the actors and the audience, and follows by a discussion of the actors impersonation of childhood and adulthood. In the last part of the analysis I identify and discuss my understanding of various themes and messages in För att jag säger det. The result of the study implies that a few sequences of the staging along with the actors’ performative bodies in För att jag säger det correlates to gender and hetero norms, but mostly the performance discourages normativity in general. The complex relationship between childhood and adulthood are however well established in the performance’s staging, and can be found in how the actors portraits childhood versus adulthood. It is also visible in the interactive communicational parts between the stage and the auditorium, which only occurs under the terms and conditions of the actors. Keywords: Unga Klara, gender, performativity, performance analysis, childhood revolution, theatre for children and young audiences