Getting Serious about Playful Play: Identifying Characteristics of Successful Theatre for Very Young Audiences

Abstract

In their research to develop a piece of theatre for very young audiences at the University of Hawaiʻi, Mark Branner and Mike Poblete noticed patterns in productions that are well received by critics, parents, and the young audience members themselves. This article addresses prevailing skepticism, and makes the case for “theatre for babies” as an established and worthy artistic pursuit. It then touches on a few varied approaches to this form, and references a set of criteria for evaluating “success” within this discipline. Finally, this article outlines a list of characteristics that seem to consistently apply to theatre for very young audiences that, by the referenced criteria, are deemed “successful.”