Acting with care: How actor practice is shaped by creating theatre with and for children Jennifer Andersen ORCID ID: D-4258-2015 Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2017 Melbourne Graduate School of Education The University of Melbourne Abstract Research has investigated the backgrounds, dispositions and skills of artists working with children in both school and in out-of-school contexts (Ascenso, 2016; Brown, 2014; Galton, 2008; Jeanneret & Brown, 2013; Pringle, 2002; Pringle, 2009; Rabkin, Reynolds, Hedberg, & Shelby, 2008; Waldorf, 2002). Actors make a significant contribution to this work but few studies focus in depth on how they create theatre with and for children. Incorporating constructivist, phenomenological (Van Manen, 1990) and case study methodologies, this research investigates the practice of nine actors who create theatre with and for children in diverse contexts. Drawing on document analysis, surveys, semi- structured interviews and performance observations, the research explores two key questions: What characterises the practice of actors who create theatre with and for children? and How is actor practice shaped by working with children? This thesis explores actor practice in relation to being, doing, knowing and becoming (Ewing & Smith, 2001). Shaped to be outward facing and ‘pedagogically tactful’ (Van Manen, 2015), actor practice gives emphasis to four key qualities: listening, reciprocating, imagining and empathising. When creating theatre with and for children, pedagogically tactful actors are guided by a sense of care and respect. This thesis adds to the discourse about artists working with children, making actor practice visible and drawing attention to their beliefs, goals, motivations and acting techniques. i Acting with care: How actor practice is shaped by creating theatre with and for children – Jennifer Andersen Declaration This is to certify that: • the thesis comprises only my own work towards the PhD except where indicated in the preface, • due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, • the thesis is less than 100,000 words, excluding footnotes, appendices, acknowledgements, table of contents and lists of figures and tables. Signed: (Jennifer Andersen). ii Acting with care: How actor practice is shaped by creating theatre with and for children – Jennifer Andersen Acknowledgements This thesis was inspired by the wonderful work of my creative collaborators throughout my life—adults and children alike—and was completed with invaluable help from many quarters. My deep thanks go to the actors who participated in this study. They were passionate, thoughtful and provocative, and gave generously of their time. I am very grateful, too, to my supervisors for their expert guidance, warmth and encouragement. Finally, I wish to thank my family for their endless love, support and good humour. iii Acting with care: How actor practice is shaped by creating theatre with and for children – Jennifer Andersen Table of Contents List of Figures .............................................................................................................. viii List of Tables ................................................................................................................ viii 1.1 Outline of the Study ............................................................................................ 2 1.2 Researcher Background ...................................................................................... 5 1.3 Key Terms ........................................................................................................... 7 1.3.1 Theatre and actors. ...................................................................................... 7 1.3.2 Theatre with and for children. .................................................................... 8 1.3.3 Audience and participants. ......................................................................... 8 1.3.4 Practice ....................................................................................................... 9 1.4 A Framework for Practice: Doing, Knowing, Being and Becoming .................. 9 1.4.1 Being, doing and knowing: Characteristics of actor practice ................... 10 1.4.2 Becoming: Shaping actor practice ............................................................ 11 2.1 Who Are The Actors Who Work With Children? ............................................ 13 2.2 Actors Creating Theatre With Children ............................................................ 14 2.2.1 Professional identities of actors and other artists who work with children. .................................................................................................................. 14 2.2.2 Motivations of actors and other artists to work with children. ................. 17 2.2.3 Skills and techniques of actors and other artists working with children. 19 2.2.4 How working with children influences the practice of actors and other artists. .................................................................................................................. 23 2.3 Actors Creating Theatre For Children .............................................................. 25 2.3.1 An intricate communicative web. ............................................................. 25 2.3.2 Knowing the audience. ............................................................................. 26 2.3.3 Acting and presenting. .............................................................................. 28 2.3.4 Actor as researcher. .................................................................................. 29 2.3.5 The attraction of theatre for children. ....................................................... 30 iv Acting with care: How actor practice is shaped by creating theatre with and for children – Jennifer Andersen 2.4 Summary ........................................................................................................... 32 3.1 Researcher Positioning ..................................................................................... 33 3.2 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 35 3.3 Research Design ............................................................................................... 37 3.4 Methods ............................................................................................................ 38 3.4.1 Document search 1. .................................................................................. 40 3.4.2 Participant selection and recruitment. ...................................................... 40 3.4.3 Surveys. .................................................................................................... 42 3.4.4 Document search 2. .................................................................................. 43 3.4.5 Interviews. ................................................................................................ 43 3.4.6 Observations. ............................................................................................ 47 3.4.7 Second interviews. .................................................................................... 51 3.4.8 Analysis, interpretation and representation. ............................................. 51 3.4.9 Reflexivity. ............................................................................................... 55 3.5 Summary ........................................................................................................... 56 4.1 Commercial and Professional Subsidised Theatre ............................................ 61 4.2 Unsubsidised Independent Theatre ................................................................... 62 4.3 Participatory and Community Theatre .............................................................. 63 4.4 Searching for New Categories of Practice ........................................................ 64 4.5 Summary ........................................................................................................... 68 5.1 Survey Results .................................................................................................. 70 5.1.1 Reflection ................................................................................................. 80 5.2 Participant Case Story Categories ..................................................................... 80 5.3 Case Story Style and Content ........................................................................... 81 5.4 Actors Creating Theatre With Children ............................................................ 82 5.4.1 Carolyn Hanna: Tuning in to children. ..................................................... 84 5.4.2 Naomi Brouwer: Love, care and worry. ................................................... 85 5.4.3 Dan Goronszy: Playing with risk. ............................................................ 86 5.4.4 Reflection ................................................................................................. 87 5.5 Actors Creating Theatre With/For Children ..................................................... 88 v Acting with care: How actor practice is shaped by creating theatre with and for children – Jennifer Andersen 5.5.1 Matthew Kelly: The art of being seriously stupid. ................................... 89 5.5.2 Alex Pinder: Helping children to find their