{"id":1101,"date":"2021-01-16T20:46:37","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T20:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/?p=1101"},"modified":"2022-02-05T09:52:46","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T09:52:46","slug":"the-young-peoples-stage-of-the-national-theatre-of-greece-cultural-politics-and-pedagogical-paradigms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/the-young-peoples-stage-of-the-national-theatre-of-greece-cultural-politics-and-pedagogical-paradigms\/","title":{"rendered":"The Young People\u2019s Stage of the National Theatre of Greece: Cultural Politics and Pedagogical Paradigms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Zafiris Nikitas<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The article looks into the cultural politics of the Young People\u2019s Stage of the National Theatre of Greece (2017\u201320) and examines the various initiatives of the institution that reinvigorate theatre for young audiences in Greece. Its focus is the social engagement and the pedagogical aspect that is initiated by the Young People\u2019s Stage which breathes new life into the incorporation of theatre education in Greek society, strengthens children\u2019s agency and connects with global sociopolitical aspects.
Keywords<\/strong>: theatre for young audiences, national theatre, cultural politics, pedagogy, agency<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction: Towards a Socially Engaged <\/strong>\u03a4\u03a5\u0391<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The Young People\u2019s Stage (YPS) is a newly founded branch of the National Theatre of Greece. Established in 2017, it focuses solely on Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA). This innovative institution (called, in Greek, \u201cMikro Ethniko\u201d) organizes theatrical and pedagogical programs that promote TYA as a socially active cultural movement. The organization\u2019s focus is both educational and artistic. The institutional politics of YPS promote a diverse repertoire, the education of young immigrants, making connections with economically and socially vulnerable groups of young people, the use of devised theatre, pedagogical collaboration with under-resourced schools and the operation of theatre workshops for children and youth. The supervisor of the YPS is Sofia Vgenopoulou, an experienced stage director and leader of the TYA theatre troupe \u201cGrasshopper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Director and dramaturg Sofia Vgenopoulou. Photo: Stavros Petropoulos<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In this essay, I look into the various initiatives of the institution in order to showcase the cultural politics and pedagogical paradigms it is seeking to implement. These include inclusiveness, critical thinking and aesthetic education, as well as social awareness. Specifically, creating performances for children that address multiculturalism, personal identity and globalization, YPS has reframed TYA as a vehicle of critical discourse for children. This vital creative viewpoint has also transfigured theatre criticism for Young Audiences. That is, there has been a gradual overturning of the dominant paradigm of criticism authored by adults in enclosed theatre space to the idea of self-criticism voiced by children through the experience of what is urgent to them in the wider sociopolitical connotations of society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

YPS aspires to turn theatre for children and youth into a vibrant cultural movement that connects them to diverse parts of Greek society rather than perceiving such theatre simply as an artistic phenomenon that is made by adults for children. The director of the organization has herself clearly stressed this unique aspect of the endeavor. In the past \u201cchildren\u2019s theatre\u201d was initiated by Antigone Metaxa in the 1930s and \u201ctheatre for children\u201d was led by Xenia Kalogeropoulou in the 1970s (Kangelari 14\u201322; Puchner 94\u2013105). Now, \u03a4\u03a5\u0391 has rapidly developed to a \u201ctheatre with, by and for children,\u201d connected to sociopolitical and pedagogical perspectives through the initiatives of YPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repertoire<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The cultural politics of YPS reflect a cosmopolitan viewpoint. The organization tends to choose plays by established European playwrights, often from the U.K. These plays emphasize social and personal issues that energize the critical participation of the young spectators in an era of globalization. At the same time, the performances convey ideas through productions of high quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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