Young People's Theatre Attendance: Perspectives from Theatre Company Workers in the Theatrespace Project

Abstract

This article examines some of the key views that theatre workers hold about why young people, especially those in schools, do or don’t go to the theatre. It considers how views held by theatre personnel about young people’s theatre attendance informs theatre company programming and marketing and how such views may foster or restrict young people’s engagement with their programs. The article draws on data and associated findings from the four-year TheatreSpace research project, which focussed on the theatre attendance of young people (aged 14-30) including those in schools. It focuses particularly on those young people who were attending school during the study and highlights that there is so..