Agency and Generationing Aspects of Young Audience’s Self-initiated Theatre-going Practices

Abstract

The greater part of professional theatre performances for young people in Sweden takes place during school hours, clearly situating theatre-going within a compulsory school context. Consequently, most audience reception studies with young audiences are carried out within this context as well. The aim of this article is to discuss young audience’s agency within theatre-going practices which they take part of outside school hours, on their own initiative, as well as to discuss in what ways these theatre-going practices are generationally constituted. The article draws on theories from both theatre- and performance studies and childhood studies, where the concept of theatre as event is used as basic framework of understanding (Sauter 2000, 2008) and generation(-ing) (Alanen 2001) and agency (Esser 2016; James 2011; Lee 2009) are used analytically. The material consists of three transcribed in-depth focus group discussions with eight individuals, 13-15 years of age (five girls and three boys), who on a regular basis take part of professional theatre and performing arts in their leisure time. Even though the school as mediator is absent, adults still clearly impact young audience’s theatre-going in several, and somewhat contradictory, ways paving way for as well as limit young audience’s agency. The very infrastructure of theatre and performing arts outside school hours leans heavily on adult norm, communicating that the theatre is yet another public space that young people should not have (full) access to. At the same time adults do encourage and invite young people to participate in theatre-going practices outside school hours through networks and organizations connected to venues and theatre organizations around Sweden. This article demonstrates such young voices. Though young audience’s agency is tangible, it takes on various expressions and to varying extents. However, it still works within generational structures as young audiences are more or less depending on adult support, openness and/or willingness to share the world of theatre and performing arts with young audiences. Thus, generational boundaries are largely maintained by generationing practices, by adults and young people both.