This thesis aims to further our understanding of the emergent phenomenon of Theatre for Early Years (TEY) in Scotland. It interrogates a series of artistic practices – traditional, postdramatic, participatory – with the aim of proposing a possible dramaturgy of arts for the very young. Practice typically precedes theory in new fields of performance. TEY currently lacks a coherent theoretical framework or dramaturgy, instead drawing on interdisciplinary strands of psychology, pedagogy and existing dramaturgical practices from older forms of theatre for children. This study explores artists' embodied knowledge as a repository of skill, while also recognising external factors that impact on creative production, from belief systems to training, the search for funding and the struggle for recognition. Using Grounded Theory as a method to analyse interviews with 26 leading Scottish practitioners, this project undertakes a qualitative investigation of current practice in the devising and production of performing arts for very young audiences. The thesis also considers debates around legitimation and human rights for the very young, as well as cognitive models of infant development from psychology. The process points towards a Grounded Theory which proposes that Scottish Early Years artists undergo an attitudinal shift towards a belief that children should access high-quality cultural experiences on the same basis as adults. Secondly, it suggests that these artists believe they possess a unique skill-set worthy of recognition. The theory points towards an associated dramaturgy centring on equality, and the generalisability of both is then assessed via an innovatory Practice-as-Research case study converting a TEY production into a digital app. While the project is geographically limited to Scotland, its findings may have international applicability. This study could contribute to a wider praxis of arts for the very young beyond theatre, giving practitioners across the cultural sphere the opportunity to engage with the proposed dramaturgy.

A presente tese investiga a pertinência e a relevância cultural de um teatro voltado especialmente para bebês. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo de inspiração etnográfica, que consistiu principalmente da participação da pesquisadora como público em espetáculos teatrais voltados especialmente para essa faixa etária, na cidade de São Paulo. Desta forma, o teatro para bebês consistiria uma unidade mínima bastante especial e oportuna para a observação de fenômenos culturais, nos quais há construções conjuntas de significados, envolvendo adultos e crianças. Foram assistidos doze espetáculos de teatro para bebês, dos quais cinco foram analisados mais detalhadamente. Observou-se a dinâmica de interações que se estabelecia a partir das proposições cênicas das/dos artistas e da montagem, bem como da recepção e da participação da plateia, composta de adultos e crianças, especialmente as bem pequenas, até dois anos. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com os artistas criadores dos espetáculos. Para as análises, foram utilizados principalmente quatro referenciais teóricos: a tese de Vigotski (1995) de que as funções superiores são a cultura internalizada, atualizada no estudo proposto por Pino (2005) no que diz respeito à ideia de humano; o referencial teórico da Rede de Significações (RedSig); a ideia de dieta cultural proposta por Del Río e Álvarez (2007); e a Estética da Recepção, a partir das ideias de Robert Jauss (1979) e Wolfgang Iser (1996). Constatou-se que há semelhanças entre o teatro para bebês e a escola de educação infantil quanto à dinâmica do triângulo relacional que se estabelece entre mães/pais, professores, e bebês, na escola; e mães/pais, professores e bebês, no teatro. Como na escola, mas de forma \"concentrada\", o teatro para bebês oferece oportunidade de construção de significados conjuntos, da descoberta do outro, de disputa de atenção e de crescimento envolvendo adultos e crianças. Concluiu-se que é pertinente que se crie e apresente espetáculos teatrais especialmente para a primeira infância (bebês) e que a oferta desse tipo de produção, já considerável em São Paulo, tende a aumentar e se diversificar nos próximos anos. / This thesis investigates the pertinence and cultural relevance of theatrical production targeting babies. To that end, a study of ethnographical inspiration was conducted, consisting primarily of participation by the researcher as a member of the audience in dramatic productions aimed at this age range, in the city of São Paulo. In this way, theatre for babies would constitute a minimal unity, quite special and inviting for the observation of cultural phenomena, in which children and adults take part as a group in the construction of meanings. Twelve productions were watched, five of which were chosen for a more in-depth analysis. We observed the interaction dynamics established by the dramatic propositions of the artists and the production itself, as well as reception and participation by the audience, composed by adults and children, especially the very young, up to two years of age. Interviews were also conducted with the creators of the productions. For the analyses, four theoretical cornerstones were mainly used: the thesis by Vigotski (1995) that the superior functions are internalized culture, updated in the study proposed by Pino (2005) with respect to the idea of human; the theoretical reference of the network of meanings; the idea of cultural diet proposed by Del Río and Álvarez (2007); and the Aesthetics of Reception, from the ideas of Robert Jauss (1979) and Wolfgang Iser (1996). We found that there are resemblances between the theatre for babies and the institution of Early Childhood Education regarding the relational triangle established by parents, teachers and babies, at school; and parents, teachers and babies, at the theatre. As in school, albeit in a concentrated manner, theatre for babies offers opportunities for the constructing of joint meanings, the discovery of the Other, the dispute for attention and growth involving adults and children. We concluded that creating and presenting dramatic productions made specially for children in their early infancies (babies) is a pertinent practice, and that the supply of this type of production, already sizeable in São Paulo, is predicted to increase and to diversify in the next few years.