Theatre for Early Years

There is an old phenomenon in theatre arts: Education! And there is a new tendency: theatre arts for the very young! The relationship to education is clear, but what about the profit for the arts? The world of children as a horizon of experiences? The role of music as a dramaturgical element? Is it needed to divide the performance in actors and spectators? Is there a special age for a successful reception? How much should theatre artists be confronted with the physical and psychological development of children? It seems that Theatre for Early Years is a work in progress. There are more and more examples on the stages of the world: In Europe, in the States, in Australia. A variety of different perspectives are included in this research in performing arts from birth to three. The authors are reflecting their work, their observations, their directorship – to discover a new audience, to accompany the new generation in aesthetics, to make the signs of the time transparent. And maybe the development of Theatre for Early Years is a new challenge to renew the language of theatre, to establish an art of simplicity for the complexity of theatre.

Author Biography

The Editor: Wolfgang Schneider, Professor Dr. phil., is director of the Institute for Cultural Policy at the University of Hildesheim (Germany). He was Founding Director of the Kinder- und Jugendtheaterzentrum in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, since 1997 he has been Chairman of ASSITEJ Germany, since 2002 President of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People. Furthermore he is author and editor of several books and magazines for arts education.