A couple of weeks ago, I took part in a Postgrad Roundtable discussion at Queen’s. Joining in a conversation about the composition of creative works, I tried to make the point that the ensemble devising process in youth theatre could be said to involve an emergent design rather than the top-down ‘composition’ of a play by one director. Not being (quite) assertive enough, I was talked over by a music lecturer who ignored my mention of youth theatre and said that Grotowski’s Theatre Labs were the only example he knew of emergent design in theatre. Quietly fuming, I wrote down on my notepad: ‘Doesn’t know a thing about youth theatre’.

Reviewing these notes in the calm of my office, I am struck by how defensive I became about my conception of what youth theatre is. During this PhD I will need to arrive at a definition of youth theatre/youth drama in order to determine which types of group I engage with. The more I read stuff and speak to people, the more I realise that understandings of the term youth theatre vary greatly, from denoting any kind of dramatic activity with teenagers to meaning a specific art form in its own right which links artistic, personal social development. Here’s where I am currently at with thinking through these questions of definition…

I am focusing on groups working with people aged 12-25. I define individuals under 12 as ‘children’ and those over 12 as ‘young people’. 12-25 is the age bracket which the youth theatre umbrella bodies in NI, ROI and Scotland focus on. It’s an age bracket in which peoples’ main social circle tends to be their peer group rather than their families – so drama groups might be of special importance to them.

NAYD is the umbrella body for youth theatre in the Republic of Ireland. According to NAYD: ‘Youth drama is a unique form of theatre that is defined by the contribution of young people.’ It is also ‘a unique youth work practice that engages young people as active participants in theatre by using group or ensemble drama approaches.’ Whilst NAYD use the broad term ‘youth drama’ here, they go on to list 7 Key Characteristics of a youth theatre group. These include being not-for-profit, offering a year-round programme of activities, taking place outside of school and having ‘its own identity forged by its members and its interaction with the wider community’.

In NAYD’s research projects Centre Stage + 10 and State of Play, they distinguish between ‘youth theatres’ (which comply with the above criteria) and ‘youth drama groups’ (which encompasses commercial Stage Academies, Speech and Drama Classes etc.). Interestingly, the Republic of Ireland counts over 40 youth theatres which mention their local areas in their titles – e.g. County Roscommon Youth Theatre, Cabinteely Youth Theatre, Galway Youth Theatre… This contrasts with just 3 Northern Irish youth drama groups who have a geographic place in their title. NI groups tend to be named after arts venues e.g. The Crescent Arts Youth Theatre, the Grand Opera House Youth Theatre. Does this indicate that youth theatres are regarded more as a source of local pride in the Republic? They certainly seem to be better-supported by local councils.

Having worked in Scotland all last year, I know that a youth theatre over there also tends to mean a specific type of youth drama group. It usually denotes a year-round group which involves young people in decision-making, uses ensemble approaches, offers workshops and mounts productions. The umbrella body for the Scottish sector, YTAS, is supporting some innovative developments for youth theatre in Scotland. The organisation’s recent name change from ‘Promote YT’ to ‘Youth Theatre Arts Scotland’ signals their move towards advocating for youth theatre as an art form in its own right. They recently launched Chrysalis, a platform for high-quality, ‘ambitious and provocative’ youth theatre performances.

So much for the Republic and Scotland…what’s the story here in Norn Iron? Well, my 2 years as a UAYD Board member have led me to believe that an understanding of ‘youth theatre’ as a distinct art form is not so widespread here. Fewer than half of not-for-profit youth drama groups in NI call themselves ‘youth theatres’, and many of these are time-bound projects such as summer schemes rather than year-round groups. In NI, the boundaries are often blurred between commercial performing arts classes, not-for-profit youth theatres and Speech and Drama groups. This may be in part due to the demise of the network of regional youth theatres which used to be funded by the Arts Council, and a subsequent rise in private sector groups.

So how should I approach my own definition? I don’t want to be snobby and ignore any groups which don’t fall into my specific understanding of ‘youth theatre’, formed during my time in Scotland. I know that there are some commercial performing arts groups in Northern Ireland who produce high-quality work and offer a fulfilling, inclusive experience for young people. I also realise that by limiting my project to ‘youth theatres’, I will be missing out several elements of the sector which provide important social value in communities. The Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster, for example, don’t generally have year-round groups but have a strong network of drama festivals across NI.

However, in my PhD, as in my professional drama facilitation work and my Board membership of UAYD, I want to highlight some values of good youth theatre practice which I feel aren’t as widespread here as elsewhere. These include:
• The active involvement of young people in decision-making. The productions which a group does should be decided by young people, not by leaders.
• An inclusive ethos and ensemble approach. As a young person, I had a bad experience of having a ‘bit part’ in a youth musical. The (adult) director told me where to stand and how to say my lines. I spent a lot of time hanging around backstage with nothing to do. This is not fun or fulfilling.
• The use of drama workshops. Workshops offer young people a chance to take risks without the pressure of a public performance, to explore and develop their sense of identity. And most importantly, to play.

I am also wary of including groups which operate as profit-making businesses. I’m not saying that youth drama leaders shouldn’t earn a decent wage – they definitely should. But if high course fees and no financial support schemes mean that a group is not accessible to all young people, then that runs counter to the inclusive ethos which I believe should be at the core of youth theatre. The current fees for the Stagecoach performing arts academy are £324 per term for 6-18 year-olds. I know my folks wouldn’t have been able to afford that.

So I am thinking that I’ll focus on groups which invest any profits back into their activities, and which are financially accessible to all young people. I will distinguish between ‘youth theatres’ (year-round groups) and ‘youth drama activities’, but I’ll look at both. I am currently mapping all youth drama activity outside of Belfast and Derry. Come December I will be engaging with four communities for my in-depth fieldwork. This will involve exploring how youth theatre/drama is perceived and valued in these four places, not just by participants but by the wider community (parents, sports leaders, teachers etc). If you think your area could be of interest, please do get in touch. And please also let me know if you have any thoughts on these questions of definition. I’d love to hear them, whether or not you agree with my ramblings.

Just don’t talk over me. If I’ve taken away one thing from my first Postgrad Roundtable, it’s to promote the values I learned in youth theatre. One person, one voice. And everyone’s input is equally important. At the next Roundtable, I’ll bring my talking stick…

If I told you that a youth theatre performance I recently saw, about mental health, ended with a group sing-along of Stand By Me, what would be your first reaction? Some people, I’d imagine, might think that sounds heartwarming. Others, perhaps, might feel it sounds a wee bit cheesy. Some people might think that singing a pop song, complete with guitars, arm-waving and clapping, could be something of a cop-out, or ‘artistically uninteresting’. As for me, well,  I have seen some youth drama performances where there is a serious cheese overload. However, The Sound of Silence, performed by 52 young people in Enniskillen recently, was definitely not one of them. This 40-minute piece of devised theatre was carefully crafted, varied in form and reflective. It also ‘got me’ deep in the heart and gut, and by the end, both performers and audience had certainly earned the right to a good sing-along.

The Sound of Silence was a collaborative production by young people from 4 different schools in Donegal, Fermanagh, Cavan and Derry. They were joined by members of Key Drama, an up-and-coming youth theatre group. The play formed part of a cross-border mental health project with the intriguing title of Salus (means ‘wellbeing’ in Latin, I am told). Run by Action Mental Health and the National Learning Network, the Salus project enabled over 6000 young people to participate in workshops exploring mental health, between 2013 and February 2015. The drama element of Salus began in November last year, and was offered to young people from schools who had hosted mental health workshops. I am guessing that the creation of a play was seen as a way of giving artistic expression to the issues explored in these workshops, and of providing a platform for young people’s thoughts to be heard.  The piece was devised by the 52 young people themselves. They were helped and guided in this challenge by drama facilitator Brenda Burns, who fondly christened her team: ‘The Salus 52’.

The great thing about The Sound of Silence was that it didn’t present mental health as all doom and gloom. It was highlighted early on – through the neat scenic device of a school lesson led by a stressed-out teacher – that the term ‘mental health’ itself is neither good nor bad. The first half of the play focussed on experiences of poor mental health, whilst the second half looked at how we can lift ourselves (and each other) up.

The opening sequence had performers circling in and out of the audience, chanting softly in rhythm: “What’s mental health? What’s mental health? Don’t know what mental health is? Shh…” The effect was disquieting – an embodiment of the social stigma which exists around talking about mental health, whether it be in the school playground or the office.  This chanting was eventually broken by soft guitar music from one of the two excellent young actor-musicians.

A powerful montage of interlocking scenes followed, depicting snapshots of interaction within families and friendship groups. Voice-over narrative was used to illustrate how a young person may seem completely fine to their friends or family, whilst inside they are struggling with feelings of anxiety or despair. A ‘domino effect’ was built up, with one character from each scene moving on to the next one, bringing with them the stresses they had experienced in the previous scene. There were also some short monologues from individuals, telling stories about struggles with mental health. These were incredibly moving, and have stayed with me since.

Like clouds shifting to reveal the sun, the second half brought humour and light. We watched as a youth drama group full of lively characters attempted to create a play about mental health. After sharing things that help their mental health – from going to football matches to hanging out with friends – the group fell to devising scenes. Suggestions such as “let’s have an eerie whisper moving into a haunting chant” were tried out and discarded, before one group member said: “how about ending with a big song and dance? Like they have in musicals… Where they just seem to break simultaneously into song…”. And so it was that The Sound of Silence ended with a fabulous dance routine involving all 52 performers, followed by a chorus of Stand By Me. By that stage, the audience were on their feet, clapping and singing along. We had followed these young performers on a journey from darkness into light. And, quite simply, they had put on a fantastic show.

And I haven’t told you the half of it. I didn’t even mention the scene of the debate in the Dáil, with T.D.s arguing for making mental health education compulsory in schools. Or all the funny bits with the youth drama workshop. But I will say this: as someone who has struggled with mental health at times throughout my life, The Sound of Silence made me feel less alone. Listening to the monologues, I thought: “I remember feeling like that when I was 16. I should have told somebody sooner.” And after the rousing finale, the whole audience left with a spring in their step, off to have lunch at Action Mental Health and get to know each other better. This is what good youth theatre can do. Salus 52, I salute you.

“You’re doing a PhD? Cool! So does that mean you’ll be a Doctor then?” “Yeah. Well, potentially.” “What will you be a Doctor in?” “Erm… youth theatre I suppose.” “What?” “Well, my PhD is looking at youth theatre in rural areas of Northern Ireland. It’s quite exciting actually, because-” [gets interrupted] “Hang on- are you telling me that you are getting funded to research – what – childish drama? In the countryside? In Northern Ireland? That’s pretty…well…niche…”

 I have been having the above conversation, or variations of it, quite a lot over the past few months. I know how weirdly specific my research sounds – and it’s far from the conventional definition of a ‘proper job’! People seem  initially a bit unsure of what to say when I trot out the phrase “the social value of rural youth theatre”. And I must admit I’m still perfecting my ‘elevator pitch’ technique. However, I find that when I do get to describing what really excites me about this work, 9 times out of 10 people respond with enthusiasm. They usually have some experience which connects with the topic, or a specific area which interests them. So, here goes with a brief explanation of what I’m up to, and why…

In summer 2013 I completed an MA dissertation looking at the buildings which are used for youth drama activity in small towns and villages across Northern Ireland. I visited some incredible community spaces, such as The Hub BT80 in Cookstown and Craic Theatre and Arts Centre in Coalisland. However, I also encountered some youth theatres who were working in dilapidated community halls, where their group seemed to be at the bottom of the food chain compared to activities such as bingo or mother and toddler groups. I found that some youth theatres were being ‘priced out’ of their local council facilities: in one case a group handed over their entire production’s profits to the council in return for hall hire for one evening. This made me realise the need for dedicated arts spaces in small communities, and I fell to wondering about what it takes to make those spaces a reality. Is it just about having dynamic individuals in the community who can make things happen? What  other factors are in  play?

 Another interesting issue was hinted at in my MA project. There seemed to be some communities where sport was valued much more than the arts as a ‘suitable’ or ‘appropriate’ activity for young people. Young people from these areas reported that at school, those who were good at sports were “treated like gods” whereas the people who were into drama were considered “a wee bit weird”. And yet there were other places in Northern Ireland in which the youth drama leaders were also football coaches, and where there were few reports of a ‘sporting bias’…

A third issue that came up during my dissertation was the experience of young men from rural areas involved in drama. One young man who now works as an actor said to me: “What 15-year-old boy from my village is going to put down his hurling stick and say: ‘No, I want to do drama?’ “. It seemed that in some places, participation in drama was not valued as an attractive activity for young men.

 These three ‘tasters’ of issues pointed towards a need for more substantial research into how youth theatre is perceived and valued in small communities. As well as being interested in the experiences of participants, I am very keen to explore how youth drama is viewed by those not directly involved. What do people who watch a youth theatre performance in their village hall think that that youth theatre group brings to their village? What do sports leaders think of youth drama? What about parents? Teachers?

There has never  been a published academic study on youth theatre in Northern Ireland. I am very aware that, as a professional youth drama facilitator myself, I am bringing a certain bias. However, I am not aiming to produce a piece of advocacy work that is simply ‘cheerleading’ for youth drama ie ‘Look at how these young peoples’ lives have been transformed! Isn’t it wonderful!’. I want to explore, as objectively as possible, how this art form is perceived from a variety of angles, including those which are not positive. I am interested in capturing a representative snapshot of opinions about youth theatre, and experiences of its impacts, in order to see whether it can be deemed to have any sustainable and significant social benefits in small places. And if I find this to be the case, I will look at how the sector can be better supported, and how it can develop itself.

Here goes then. Wish me luck. And please do get in contact if you are involved in youth activities in a rural area, or even if you just have interesting thoughts on the subject. I’ll be posting a new blog entry every 1-2 weeks. Please keep checking back  – and share this page with anyone you think might be interested.

Thanks,

Molly