How to educate young people and attract them into theaters has long been a question discussed by experts of the stage arts around the world. At the ongoing World Class Theater for Chinese Audiences meeting on Thursday, the dialogue Theatre and Youth: Theater Practice for Youth dealt with this issue.
Wang Keran, a producer from Chinese cultural company, stressed that the theater industry needs to carry out comprehensive (综合性的) education concerning the theater for the young, while Zhou Xing from China's Ministry of Education said that theater education has a broader definition, which includes human thoughts, emotions and expression.
Overseas theater directors and actors including Jean Varela, Florence Mach and Oriol Broggi, also share their experiences and thoughts on this topic.
In the eyes of Varela, theater education is one of the most important means to raise people's ability to appreciate the artform. "I was forced by my mum to at end these performance classes in the hope of helping me get rid of my shyness over my obesity (肥胖) when I was a kid. It turned out she was right," he said. March, who focuses on arts education and research, said that his project Spring of School aims to help youngsters aged 14-16 with the goal of "helping them become better people".
These guests also gave different advice to encourage more and more young people to walk into the theaters. Anais Martane came up with the idea of low-priced student tickets on days like Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which she said will help kids turn the performing arts into a hobby. "In France, the price for kids can be very low, so that parents can take them to many plays. This is also an important part of theater education," she said.
