Theatre as Interplay: Processes of Collective Creativity in Theatre for Young Audiences

Abstract

This article focuses on the interplay between actors and audience members, an important aspect in the current discourse of advanced theatre practitioners and scholars that is part and parcel of children's theatre's genuine understanding of itself. It also discusses the simultaneous asymmetry of interaction between actors and audience in theatre. Is the collective creativity between artists and children only a theoretical construct or a requirement? What participatory opportunities does theatre actually offer its audience members? The article addresses a fundamental difficulty in the participatory idea: Does lack of focus on the part of audience members constitute expression; is it part of collective creativity because in such cases the asymmetry of interaction in the theatre is breaking down? Or is it an indication of a failure of collective creativity because those present do not relate to one another sufficiently?

Notes

¹Translation of all German sources within this text is by the author of this article.