The big question!!

In order to formulate my question I have looked back through all my blogs and picked out some key words that recur:

•  Inspire
• Access
• Enhance
• Engage
• Learning
• Participation
• Outreach
• Community
• Experience 

Now to put these words into questions.  From previously formulating questions I have gained clarity on this process.

1. Due to my desire to gather knowledge the focus will be on how questions.
2. I have decided I want to focus on theatre for children and young people but I need to choose one age group to focus on.  Because my experience and current practice lies in working with primary aged children this is where it will lie.
3. I need to focus on an area because scope for children's theatre varies so much across the country.  I live and work in London so this is where I will base it.

Here goes the questions:

• How can theatre for primary aged children be more accessible in London?
• How can primary aged children's experience of theatre engage, educate and inspire?
• How can a child's experience of theatre be enhanced?
• How can theatre be made more accessible to children from all walks of life across London boroughs?
• How can more children in London get access to live theatre?
• How do current profit and non profit children's theatre organisations compare in terms of outreach work and access to children across London?
• How can theatre inspire a generation?
• Observing and participation - does one work without the other in terms of a child's engagement in theatre?

In refreshing my thoughts I can reflect on these questions and see that I am focusing on a child's engagement in theatre or their access to it.  I often think with my heart and not my head - in terms of my studying I think it is time I listen to my head and be realistic about my learning, taking ownership of my learning.  I am very passionate about making theatre accessible but I worry that purely going down that line of questioning will not be right for me.  I think that fundamentally the answers will lie within the arts council, government funding and school policies.  Although I would like to gain knowledge surrounding these things I am a creative person and I can not see myself being inspired by a money driven inquiry.  So I am veering towards a question surrounding engagement and from the list above the last question stands out to me! I took it to my BAPP colleagues and my adviser Paula at a campus session.

Observing and participation - does one work without the other in terms of a child's engagement in theatre?

Firstly I found myself explaining what I meant by this question and what I wanted to know.  That was not a good sign as the question should explain that! Basically I think that in order for a child to fully engage in a live theatre production their experience needs to go beyond the couple of hours in theatre with actor workshops, teacher involvement, discussion and reflection before and after.  I want to know what companies in London are currently doing to enhance a child's engagement in live theatre as this is something I would love to be a part of and a field I am interested in going into.  Everyone sat round the table said 'oooo that sounds interesting but that is not what your question portrays'.  I lost sight of all the specifics that I spoke of in my previous blog and earlier in this one too.  But that's ok sometimes you need to loose clarity in order to be free with your thoughts and then you can find it again.  So after talking it through with my colleagues and analysing what I want to know this is my question:

How are London theatre companies using workshops/outreach to enhance and enrich a child's experience of live theatre? 

The only thing I am unsure of is my terminology surrounding 'workshops/outreach' I am not sure if this is right? Maybe it should be 'participatory techniques' but then then avenues they are using might not be participatory.  Actually maybe that is it 'different avenues'?  Any one who has any advice on this it would be greatly appreciated!  I am hoping I might hit on the correct terminology as I start to explore literature too.

I feel excited and inspired about this question!  Time to get to work on realising how I will answer it!

Hollie xx