Theatre for Young Audiences

In this section, you’ll find content all about theatre created with young people in mind. Dive into the conversation with this panel about writing TYA or this series on Latinx and Latin American TYA.

The Latest

Producing Malawi’s First Multidisciplinary Arts Festival

Podcast

Producing Malawi’s First Multidisciplinary Arts Festival

by Fumbani Innot Phiri, Thomas Chibambo

9 January 2023

Reinventing Malawian Theatre for a New Generation

Podcast

Reinventing Malawian Theatre for a New Generation

by Fumbani Innot Phiri, Jack Musumba

7 December 2022

Theatre as a Tool for Menstrual Hygiene Education

Podcast

Theatre as a Tool for Menstrual Hygiene Education

by Fumbani Innot Phiri, Lydia Deborah Banda

30 November 2022

Critical Stages in Malawian Contemporary Theatre teaser image with the title at the top and a picture of the guest in the middle.

Producing Malawi’s First Multidisciplinary Arts Festival

Podcast

Producing Malawi’s First Multidisciplinary Arts Festival

9 January 2023

When filmmaker Thomas Chibambo founded the Blantyre Arts Festival in 2009, it was Malawi’s first multi-disciplinary arts festival. He joins host Fumbani Innot Phiri, Jr. to discuss the Blantyre Arts Festival’s current plans to better support theatrical performance and his own work to establish an Arts Council in Malawi.

Reinventing Malawian Theatre for a New Generation

Podcast

Reinventing Malawian Theatre for a New Generation

7 December 2022

Jack Msumba, creative director of Youth Developers Collaboration Theatre, has big ideas for the future of Malawian theatre. In this interview, he shares his plans to eventually build Malawi’s first theatre house by producing work consistently in schools, communities, and commercial settings.

Theatre as a Tool for Menstrual Hygiene Education

Podcast

Theatre as a Tool for Menstrual Hygiene Education

30 November 2022

Lydia Deborah Banda infuses theatre into community initiatives that work toward gender equality, educate girls about menstruation, and provide leadership and support opportunities in schools and prisons. In this interview, she shares her experiences conducting these initiatives in Malawi and touring internationally to Germany.

event poster for puppets in the green mountains festival 2022.

Puppets in the Green Mountains 2022

Puppets in the Green Mountains

Video

Puppets in the Green Mountains 2022

Access Through The Arts Panel Discussions Exploring the Theme of Roots and Wings

Saturday 10 September - Sunday 18 September 2022

United States

Sandglass Theater presented events from the Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival 2022 livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 10 September, Saturday 17 September, and Sunday 18 September 2022.

NO SUMMARY: What Can the Wise Fool Nasrudin Teach Us?

Golden Thread

Video

NO SUMMARY: What Can the Wise Fool Nasrudin Teach Us?

Bringing Middle Eastern Storytelling to Young Audiences

Friday 24 June 2022

United States

Golden Thread Productions presented NO SUMMARY: What Can the Wise Fool Nasrudin Teach Us? livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 24 June 2022 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Multihyphenate Artists

Podcast

Multihyphenate Artists

With Denmo Ibrahim and Sarah Fahmy

25 May 2022

Artistic identities can be complicated, and many theatremakers work equally within two or more disciplines simultaneously. The most interesting work is rarely created in a vacuum. These multidisciplinary artists create diverse projects in all senses of the word, broadening our idea of what theatre can and should be. Today, two such multihyphenate artists, Denmo Ibrahim and Sarah Fahmy, converse about their multiple identities, how they reconcile and manage their myriad expertise, and the role of multihyphenate artists in today’s theatre landscape.

Two actors on the set of The Elephant Man.

Naming the Trope: A Deep Dive into the Harmful Uses of Disability Stereotypes in the American Theatre

Ben

Raanan

Essay

Naming the Trope: A Deep Dive into the Harmful Uses of Disability Stereotypes in the American Theatre

3 January 2022

From the “Gentleman Freak” to the “Rage-Filled Recluse,” simplistic tropes limit popular representation of disabled individuals. Ben Ranaan explains these tropes and advocates for more complex portrayals of disability in theatre and other media.

Performance: Hey neighbor, hey you! (Romania)

CEVA Educational Center for Performing Arts

Video

Performance: Hey neighbor, hey you! (Romania)

With REACTIV Festival: a laboratory of experiences and experiments in which we aim to rediscover ourselves as individuals and groups

Friday 3 September 2021

Targu Neamt, Romania

The Educational Centre of the Performative Arts CEVA in Targu Neamt, Romania presented a performance of Hey neighbor, hey you! with the REACTIV festival livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 3 September 2021.

Them's Ponies! by Rebekah Chang

LA Writers Center (LAWC)

Video

Them's Ponies! by Rebekah Chang

With Home: Asian Voices Reading Series

Saturday 7 August 2021

United States

LA Writers Center presented a performance of Them's Ponies! by Rebekah Chang as a part of Home: Asian Voices Reading Series on Saturday 7 August 2021 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Two teenage theatre artists sitting together.

Panel: New Formats & Spaces for Young Audiences (International Sign Language & Captions)

European Theatre Convention

Video

Panel: New Formats & Spaces for Young Audiences (International Sign Language & Captions)

Young Europe Festival To:gather | The Week of New European Drama

Monday 7 June 2021

Europe

The European Theatre Convention presented the panel New Formats & Spaces for Young Audiences happening within the context of Young Europe Festival To:gather and The Week of New European Drama. This panel will livestream for the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 7 June at 10 a.m. CEST (Berlin, UTC +2) / 11 a.m. EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3) / 9 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1).

Image of an adult and child standing on a stage with recording equipment.

Why Are There No Great Kids of Color in the Performing Arts?

ilasiea

gray

Essay

Why Are There No Great Kids of Color in the Performing Arts?

A Black Artist and Arts Educator’s Exploration on Challenges for Kids of Color in Arts Spaces

12 April 2021

Ilasiea Gray looks at the many challenges kids of color face in the performing arts, including access and exposure, the lack of educators of color, and more.

Moving the Field Forward Faster at American Regional Theatres

Essay

Moving the Field Forward Faster at American Regional Theatres

10 March 2021

Robert Barry Fleming, executive artistic director of Actors Theatre, and Courtney Sale, artistic director of Merrimack Repertory Theatre, converse about structural racism and systems of oppression, what can be learned from theatre for young audiences, the possibilities in a post-COVID world, and more.

Art as a Force for Good

Essay

Art as a Force for Good

A Conversation with Malaysian Theatre Artist Sabera Shaik

17 November 2020

Jennifer Rodrigo sits down in conversation with Sabera Shaik, the artistic director of Malaysia’s Masakini Theatre Company, about the country’s fragmented arts community, shadow theatre, and more.

NO SUMMARY with Golden Thread Fairytale Players

Golden Thread

Video

NO SUMMARY with Golden Thread Fairytale Players

Online conversations with artists that don’t fit in a box

Friday 6 November 2020

United States

Golden Thread Productions presented NO SUMMARY with Golden Thread Fairytale Players livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 6 November 2020 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Writing Incredible Theatre for Young Audiences (as well adults)

Lauren

Gunderson

Video

Writing Incredible Theatre for Young Audiences (as well adults)

with playwright Lauren Gunderson

Wednesday 29 April 2020

United States

Playwright Lauren Gunderson presented Writing Incredible Theatre for Young Audiences (as well adults) live-streamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 29 April 2020 at 12 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 2 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 3 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

How Theatre Organizations Can Best Serve Youth Artists

Tiffany

Vega-Gibson

Essay

How Theatre Organizations Can Best Serve Youth Artists

9 March 2020

Tiffany Vega-Gibson shares information she gleaned from seven theatre companies around the United State about how to best work with young artists who may be struggling in their personal lives.

Writing for Young Audiences with Dania Ramos and Michael Aquino of Timestorm

Podcast

Writing for Young Audiences with Dania Ramos and Michael Aquino of Timestorm

Adventures in Audio Fiction Episode #1

19 February 2020

For the premier episode of the Adventures in Audio Fiction Podcast, host Tamara Kissane discusses writing audio fiction for young audiences with Dania Ramos and Michael Aquino, the producers and creators of Timestorm, a series in which twins travel through time to preserve their culture’s true history.

Protect the Body

Clare

Hennessy

Essay

Protect the Body

Keeping Daring Depictions of Eating Disorders Safe for Actors and At-Risk Young Adults

26 November 2019

Clare Hennessy discusses the challenges of developing a play that sheds light on eating disorders—depicting them accurately, avoiding triggers—and offers suggestions for other writers in a similar position.

The ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering 2019

Kilden Theatre and Concert Hall

Video

The ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering 2019

Presented by ASSITEJ - International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People

Tuesday 3 September - Friday 6 September

Kristiansand, Norway

ASSITEJ presented The ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering 2019 livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network from Tuesday 3 September to Friday 6 September.

an actor onstage with four young children

What You, Theatremaker, Can Learn from Theatre for the Very Young

Alex

Ates

Essay

What You, Theatremaker, Can Learn from Theatre for the Very Young

29 July 2019

Alex Ates reflects on the Toddler Takeover at Atlanta, Georgia’s Alliance Theatre and shares what the growing field of theatre for the very young can teach adult theatremakers about their craft.

A performance of Alice's Wonderland

The VORTEX

Video

A performance of Alice's Wonderland

at the VORTEX in Austin, Texas

Friday 26 July 2019

Austin, Texas

The VORTEX in Austin, Texas presented Alice’s Wonderland by Ingrid Oslund, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Friday 26 July at 6 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 9 p.m. EDT (New York) / Saturday 27 July at 02:00 UTC+0.

Creating a Feminist Punch and Judy Show

Roxanna

Myhrum

Essay

Creating a Feminist Punch and Judy Show

16 June 2019

Roxanna Myhrum looks at the history of the iconic puppet show Punch and Judy and Sarah Nolen’s feminist adaptation of it, Judy Save the Day.

At the Core of Theatre for Young Audiences is Voicing Identity, Intersectionality, and Empathy

Kim Peter

Kovac

Essay

At the Core of Theatre for Young Audiences is Voicing Identity, Intersectionality, and Empathy

20 March 2019

Kim Peter Kovac looks at the way the theatre for young audiences field has changed over the last few years, where it’s at today, and what his hopes are for the future.

Terror, Strength, Pain, Brilliance, and Children in Four Little Girls

Alex

Ates

Essay

Terror, Strength, Pain, Brilliance, and Children in Four Little Girls

21 February 2019

Alex Ates examines the recent production of Christina Ham’s Four Little Girls at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

performer holding a cloth above her head

Learning from and Listening to Latinx Youth at the 2019 LTC TYA Sin Fronteras Festival and Convening

Marci R.

McMahon

Essay

Learning from and Listening to Latinx Youth at the 2019 LTC TYA Sin Fronteras Festival and Convening

19 February 2019

Marci R. McMahon reports on the 2019 Latinx Theatre Commons Theatre for Young Audiences Festival and Convening, which took place in January 2019 in Austin, Texas.