The position of the theatre for young audiences with secondary and higher education in Bohemia (Miloslav Klíma)

If we systematically consider the thesis that ASSITEJ and, of course, also other organizations enforce the right of children and young people of a spiritual development by means of art than we must also be systematic in constantly posing the question, what means, what suitable and perspective conditions have been created by us. Probably nobody doubts the idea that the development - especially of a young person from childhood to maturity - is to be as far as possible all comprising, i.e. in a very diversified form in which suitable material conditioned intertwine with impulses from the sphere of science, health care with aesthatic cultivation with the help of strong artistic experiences, but the consequence and equality of all those incentives for the development of a child is appreciated only by few. It is therefore probably indispensable that the people who deal with one of those spheres should become permanently or even professionally associated to multiply their voice with which they point out the insufficiency of the given branch, but also to develop by mutual inspiration the branch or sphere of activity, as no human activity is ever completely perfect, it constantly evolves, constantly absorbs and applies new incentives and new information. Not to speak about what is waiting for us in the near future: the prospective that we shall have to take into consideration, fully and systematically, the mutual interaction of the respective impulses having an impact on children and young people and that usually at the same moment of time.

The care taken by ASSITEJ in the sphere of the development of children and young people through art and especially the theatre is not only legitimate, but in a certain way even indispensable, or will soon prove to be quite indispensable. The scope of what is offered to young people has its changing impacts, but in the long-term view it must also have some kind of "balance", which, however, cannot be planned or given in percentage, but the aggresivity of some impulses has to be met by a counter-force, some kind of sanitary balance, From this it follows that always in all its components it is extensively human as it requires at the same time the ability to react - i.e. analyze, and the ability have a vision - i.e. creativity.

Theatre qualities have today become at home not only in the institutional theatres aimed mainly at children and young people, but also in an applied form in education or therapy from drama education (at last recognized as an equal subject already in elementary schools) to chidren°s choires, art schools, to therapeutic theatre activities in various therapeutic institutions and in the work with handicapped children and young people. This should more than fear evoke great hope. But I shall still try to reach, from historical touches, the consideration what all has still to be done in this sphere for it to become "straighter" to be fully capable to manage its own affairs. Perhaps I shall talk more about Czech problems, but I believe that in countries so close and historically so intertwined by their culture that there must be connecting points and similar problems.

Tradition:

The Czech tradition of theatre productions for children is luckily numerous and even quite diversified. (Short mentions and characteristics as examples. The wandering pupeteer - Matěj Kopecký as pars pro toto. Family theatres for children in castles - Špork, Wallenstein at Kozel, etc.,up to the first Republic: Sokol theatres, Libeň (Malík - Míček Flíček - a turn in the use of material and puppets), Mašek Fa Presto ( a living Punch), Skupa and his theatre from the beginnings in Plzeň in two lines, adult and children, Míla Melanová,later the influence of the USSR and its institutionalized theatres: DJW, DPB, The Theatre of the Young, Brno, but also the E.F.Burian studio, etc.)

I am not a historian, but this gradual division of this theatre activity from the "normal" theatre had - according to my opinion - unfavourable consequences. And only those activities (mainly those mentioned!) which continued with an enforced disvalue were actually significant theatre activities in this sphere and they have not been forgotten. (Actually the origin of the almost unique film branch: i.e. the puppet film, is in Bohemia closely connected with the tendencies towards equality of the two lines.)

As far as the educational aspect is concerned we must state only that in the approach to children and youth it was unsystematic and actually more at random. Schools and courses in theatres, as the one in the E.F.Burian theatre, were an exception. The State Concervatoire taught general, practical theatre people and did not take any specific care of the range of our present interest. The Philosophical Faculties of the universities gave space to the study of this theatre phenomenon, but not even Otakar Zich - the father of the Czech theatre science - did not pay special attention to this sphere and almost completely avoided the puppet theatre.

But life asked for production for children and youth and many "adult" theatres reacted by corresponding productions, however, frequently on the margin of artistic care. Even the National Theatre, occasionally, besides classics suitable for children dared to produce performances for children and youth (e.g. Kvapil°s Princess Dandelion). But only very exceptionally was it also a creative act.

The Present State:

The statutary as well as unstatutary theatre (often associated in UNIMA) exceeds, more and more the boundaries "of its limitation" and introduces experiments and several alternative methods. The use of animated matter (puppet or object) in interaction with the actor-cartoon-film maker and often also with an actor as a stage figure breaks through the traditional framework of the peep-hole to the puppet theatre conceived as a minimized "life" theatre. These tendency are legitimized by the children°s play, which never has such "traditional" limitations. Perhaps some names will mean something to you. /Examples and short characteristics: Puppet theatre DRAK in Hradec Králové (from Středa to Vildman and Krofta), the Naive theatre in Liberec (from Battěk to Filip and Schmid - today the Ypsilon Studio - to Markéta Schartová and Pavel Polák), the Theatre Alfa in Pilsen (from Karel Brož to P.Vašíček and T.Dvořák) and a brief mention of ÚLD-Minor, Theatre Radost in Brno and mainly the arising puppet theatre in Ostrava and others/.

Alternative and experimental groups have worked together for a longer or shorter period, but almost always with essential impulses for the theatre as such, whereby these groups predominantly address young people. These groups either become professionals or are re-arranged, change and part, are constantly on the move. Usually in the framework of another plan, sometimes even a formulated project they work continually and gradually not only alone, but in connection and confrontation with similar groups, including cooperation abroad. /Again an enumaration - incomplete!!! - and brief characteristics: CED in Brno with the basic ensemble The Goose on the String, the Studio House of Eva Tálská, Ha-Theatre, Theatre Continuo, Buchty a Loutky, Studio del arte in České Budějovice, Turbo Theatre Alfréd in the Yard, The Theatre on the Black Meadow in Ostrava, CD 94, Theatre Kašpar, Kaš(e a) párek in Cheb, Theatre in Řeznická, Studio Rubín, Club Mlejn, Theatre 7 and 1/2 in Brno, Drama Studio in Ústí on Labe, etc. - shall add according to need. To this the multiple activities of traditional surveys should be added, which mainly have a workshop character and the mutual links in various joint projects or in confrontation: Next wave, Four days on the move, The theatre on the move, Duncan centre, Archa and its projects, etc).

The theatre activities of statutary theatre and even semi-private theatres are slowly becoming aware of the statistical fact that often up to 50 % of its production - and in some cases even more (!) - is aimed at children and youth. This means something both dramatically and staging in that it is possible to lie to a certain group of cultural snobs about the exclusiveness and complicatedness, but to young people. There communication takes the first place. A communication that searches and is creative. From this consequences have to be derives and this part of the theatre production should not be considered as supplementary and marginal, but as an equal and legitimate part of the whole theatre repertory. And thus suddenly the theatre also discovered and stage equivalent to poetry (Klicpera theatre in Hradec Králové - Máj, Erben°s ballads in the theatre Dagmar in Karlovy Vary), to transfer to the stage fairy-tales and legends or myths not as "lisping" for less bright children, but as a chance for a multy-layer staging able to satisfy various age and experience groups of audiences. (As e.g. the Theatre in Dlouhá (nursery rhymes up to Topol). The west Bohemian theatre in Cheb (classics and joint projects with a group of puppets: Ubu, Maeterlink etc.), the theatre of Petr Bezruč (Koltés, Enqist etc), ND Brno (The May Fairy-Tales, The Little Prince) etc., according to need.

As far as ensembles and activities specialized to a certain circle of children audiences and youth then we have to state that in Bohemia some important trends have been established which have reached such results that they reached appreciation and were even included among university subjects. /Drama education for the deaf including stagings stat should be valued - best explained by Zoja Mikotová from the Brno theatre faculty JAMU and Dr. Jan Pilátová with the integration programme for handicapped at DAMU./ Mentioned should also be the traditional festival "Between Fences" in the sanatorium in Bohnice in Prague, where many of the above mentioned ensembles participate as well as many amateur ensembles, including music groups, which compose their productions not as classical concerts, but as a musical performance.

As the sphere of the amateur movement is very versatile, however, frequently short in time and for me unclear, I would only like to state that there exists the organization ARTAMA, which is an umbrella for these activities, that it organizes several festivals and worshops /Písek, Libice, Poděbrady, Šumperk, Kaplice, Ústí on Orlice, etc./ and publishes a magazine together with the chairs of drama educational at DAMU and JAMU.

I would like to say some more about the chair of drama education. Its official history in Bohemia is very short. It was known that this branch exists and that, for instance, in England it is a respected subject. The attempts to break the official lack of interest at the university faculties with the help of courses for teacher were interesting, but did not lead to an official recognition. Only after the revolution in 1998 conditions changes and the two theastre faculties and finally faculties for teachers included this branch in their study programmes. Today the situation is such that nobody doubts the meaning, contents and necessity of this branch, but the branch itself is still looking for its structure and image in the flow of time and the dynamics of evolution. Some teachers have successfully habilitated, publish, organize international seminars. The branch is being established and is becoming equal with the other branches. Naturally, as this subject is taught at the theatre faculty and faculty for teachers it develops in two basic trends. On one hand as methodological work in ensembles of children and youth (DAMU and JAMU) and as an application of theatre methods in the educational process (Teacher faculties at universities). This is an interesting tension, but for considerations in the framework of ASSITEJ the first trend is more important. And that not only by its direct link with the ensembles of children and youth, but also by the feedback to the professional theatres integrating or specializing in productions for children and youth.

In all the - certainly incomplete -mentioned spheres we have something to do with theatre activities of various kinds, but addressed children and youth. From the intertwining of the former specialized puppet theatre for children and the "normal" theatre /it clearly follows from this unsuitable name how disadvantages the division of children and adults was!/ up to the activities which I consider as the highest aim for the ability of a certain universal communication with the spectators of all age groups, the primary addressee being young people.

This is a tendency which according to me is worth paying attention to and also according to me, to be analyzed, developed and supported by all available means. (I do not want to pretend to be theortician, I am theatre practitioner, but the perception of the theatre in Asia and other parts of the world is much more universal as far as the composition of the audience and the communication mission is concerned. The theatre in antiquity was even more open than it is in some kind of traditional perception - especially in central Europe - still determined.

Education

The education of creative people, dealing systematically and responsibly with this field, should be paid attention to, as the idea and sometimes the reality cannot be accepted that in this field work only those that were not successful elsewhere. Where clear results can be seen highly qualitative and qualified creators can be proved standing behind these results. But it is not a question of the more visible part of education of the peak creators, but of the whole system which covers - as far as possible intentionally and deliberately, which will certainly take a long time - the whole age period from childhood to maturity. The point is that the whole population should have the possibility to meet this part of the evolution of the human personality, being aware that only a part will transfer this interest to his life style permanently, part accidentally and part will not accept it. However, according to my opinion, this offer should be made available to all.

And what is the present state in the Czech Republic ( again not complete, because some activities have not been mapped and about some I do not know).

The obligatory curriculum of the elementary school includes a subject called Drama Education, roughly on the level of art and music. This still presents several problems and certainly also a lack of qualified teachers, but the first step has been taken. There is sufficient space for the creation of proper methodology and the training of teachers.

In the Czech Republic is a network of so called Elementary Art Schools. These are naturally available in places with a greater concentration of people. The school is selective a requires at present a symbolical, but still a fee. These schools usually also have a drama department. The results are presented and compared with other schools. /In Prague,e.g. the Ilja Hurník EAS./

In the framework of the amateur movement ARITMA both festivals and many workshops of theatres for youth and with youth are organized, whereby the lecturers are usually known and recognized artists or professional theoreticians. The versality and colourfulness is thus great.

Theatre activities for disabled are both on an amateur and professional level and some study programmes are already accredited as subjects at universities.

As far as the education of professional artists in our country is concerned than besides the already mentioned Elementary Art Schools, for youth up to the school leaving certificate, then the Conservatoire with school leaving certificate, which already today reflects the possible interest of young artists interested in the theatre for youth and children. To this are added the secondary professional - frequently private - art schools which when confronted with other theatre productions must take into account also this sphere of the theatre and theatre activities. Besides last years whole final production of the third year of the Private Art School in Prague, Nusle was aimed at young spectators and that on a very high level. (

The Story of a Horse, Schnitzler, Labicha etc.). The same can be found at similar other schools, which are slowly being established and will continue to be established and disappear, which is only natural, as they should be established once for all, but their existence depends if it can gain suitable artists as teachers with educational abilities, which is a rather rare combination.

Universities have already verbally integrated the fact of the importance of interest in the field of the theatre and drama education for children and youth, but there often still exist certain traditional stereotypes in the hierarchy of importance of the respective theatre activities. Both the Philosophical Faculties of universities and teachers° Colleges respect the fact of the development of drama education, but they have not yet theoretically perceived the greatly increasing to dominating communicative aim of performances for children and youth. Which also on the theoretical level has doubtlessly many consequences that have not been named nor analyzed. An exception is the Institute of Theatre Theory of the Philosophical Faculty of the Masaryk University in Brno headed by PhDr.Bořivoj Srba, who by his connection to the CED in Brno and the theatre the Goose on the String reflects and studies these field also from the theoretical point of view.

A different situation exists at the two theatre faculties of the Czech Academies. Both try not only to conceive the problem, but to include it in their study programmes.

The theatre faculty of AMU in Prague has acredited these branches and also has the necessary studios. The former puppet chair changed after the revolution - certainly in view of the above mentioned development of the puppet theatre - and continued as the chair of alternative and puppet theatre, employing artists which are in close touch with the puppet theatre, but also support the integration with the other kinds (Josef Krofta, Jan Schmid, Jaroslav Etlík), or have contacts with the experiment using material and metaphors (Jan Borna, Jaroslav Krobot, Lucie Bělohradská, etc.), but they all try for an extensive communicative contents - with stress on the metaphor - with young and youngest spectators. The final performances of all studios show what results the individual groups have reached and by what they can inspire others or even influence them. These surveys could be an interesting basis for discussions in the framework of the national centre ASITEJ as these are no longer purely puppet performances, but mostly performances for the young or even children. (Some examples from recent years: The Mystified Ox, The Treasure of Mother Mračenice, The Cobbler Dratvička.. can add some others).

It is also of interest that the students of this chair have become the co-founders of theatre ensembles, new or already existing (Dejvice theatre - already the second graduate class has filled it, the theatre in Dlouhá, Studio Ypsilon, theatre Nablízko). The production of all these theatres is aimed mainly at young people or even children.

The chair of author creation and education of Prof. Ivan Vyskočil deals mainly with the phenomenon of dialogues in plays, as human communication. This is again aimed at the young generation of authors and mainly audiences. The scope of this chair exceeds the sphere discussed by us, but by its stimuli it is important for the considerations on the level of communication with young audiences as its stresses the authentic motives of communication not only on the basis of a personal experience, but also international acticulation, which for the morphology of a theatre staging is essential and unavoidable.

The chair of Educational drama has already been mentioned, but it should be notes that its graduates often very successfully implement their projects in the ensembles of young amateurs, whereby their knowledge and information is of great advantage for the cultivation of these amateur activities of young people in the whole country. All this naturally has its problems. As everywhere else here, too, the results are different not only as to the attitude, opinion, talent and ability, but the general trend has been introduced. The final public performances of students are the best basis for discussions and methods and trends for further studies and the existing problems. What is important is that it has become known that there is not only one single right path, a single method, but that due to different influences an environment can be created for a real creative dialogue and mutual influence.

The theatre faculty of JAMU also has a chair of Educational drama, with a very successfull and unique specialization aimed at work with the deaf. If Zoja Mikotová is present she can tell you about her experience.

The respective studios of this theatre faculty are headed by experienced artists, having worked for many years in experimental theatres, aiming at the young generation. Peter Scherhauffer from the Goose on the String, Arnošt Goldflam and Josef Kovalčuk from the Ha-theatre, and artists from classical theatres. The whole atmosphere of this faculty is aimed at experiments. This is proved by the regular festival, which the faculty organizes with a very representative participation from abroad.

The two faculties together with the faculty of VŠMU in Bratislava regularly exchange their performances and participate in the festivals organized by each school. There the youngest generation of critics can voice their opinion, reflecting the theatre of their age group, which leads to new views and the search for new relations. Certainly with a certain youthful ireconciability and categorizing, but that belongs to the youngest theatre generation.

Problems

There are some questions and problems which I shall try to place in front of a bracket as those I consider as generally valid.

Creation and the conception of metaphors: If we are today constantly more exposed to the reality of life transmission, to which it is not at all necessary and even unrequired to add any metaphoric, descriptive explanation, this objective fact can make us loose, on one hand, the ability to percieve metaphors and then create them. So instead of taking the road - an adventure with an unknown end - to the soul of man, discovering the secret of inner life, we put together a picture of man and the world from external bits and pieces. If we speak about a full and rich evolution of the personality of a young person than we must insist that one of the tasks and problems of the modern theatre for children and youth is the creation and application of stage metaphors, which evoke a perceivable imagination and only then attacks its rational participation. This is a problem of the theatre generally, but urgent for this kind of theatre. Young spectators need not believe our various statements. They have experienced too often how we - the older generation - has changed its "unchangeable" opinions, while the sensual and creative participation includes spontaneity a often credibility, if the metaphors are descriptive and pertinent.

I think that a certain systematic return to playfulness, to a game as the expression of inner openess and willingness and finally inner freedom while preserving the agreed upon and given rules of the game is also a need defending young spectators from over speculated constructivity and too complicated cunning. A play thus conceived integrates into the joint situation both the author and the spectator, while preserving a certain autonomy for both parties.

We must also pose the question whether a modern play must necessarily have a story full of turns, surprises and impulses,or whether at the theatre for youth should not also be the home of a subject and a return to idea that the subject looks for its story by which it could best reach the addressee, if it was well articulated and was also appealing. As even the best technically equipped theatre cannot compete with the film and with virtual reality, it should look for its exclusiveness and irreplacebility elsewhere. And a young spectator, not influenced by convention should not be surprised by the comparison of the perfect illusion of films as compared to the imperfect image of the theatre. The strength of the theatre is in the realistic cooperation in the situation, arising and developing in front of our eyes.

There are many sterotypes in the perception of the theatre for children and youth. It would be worth while to try to test and name their validity also today. Such a theatre does not use a multi-layer contents. Such a theatre must "lower" itself to children and youth! It must simplify great subjects to make them understandable... etc. There are doubtlessly many more and most of them can be rightly doubted.

If opposite to the defensive perception and placing of the theatre for the young we offer the opportunity an recall the strength which it has we can reach the consideration that in place of the stereotype idea of pseudo-romantic fairy-tales and educational stories, this theatre can derive its qualities from Maeterlinck an Exupery and can compare with O.Wild, W.Shakespeare, the basic myth and legends of mankind. The constant interest in Tolkien is only proof of this. This theatre activity has to be approached not minute, childish, but straight, mature, equal.

Perspectives

If, and I believe it, the theatre for children and youth will find, as an integral part of the theatre as such, enough strength for self-anylzes, analyzes of trends and experiments, it can reach interesting results, if it will be able to attract high quality artists. To this would contribute permanent and fruitful contacts on an international level, which have the advantage to inspire without outlining only one path. From them it is only a step to joint projects, workshops and stagings. In the period when there is the danger of the impact of a "universal" culture in Europe will knock on the door, the understanding of the difference and variety of the respective cultures and traditions is the very source of inspiration and not division.

As far as the educational aspect is concerned the same can be applied and that joint studies can effect the artists at the time of great perception and openess to other, new and unexpected stimuli. This will help them to avoid flatness, closing in their own small world. Ideally one day - and hopefully soon - it could happen that the theatre for the young, their conception of drama education and the education of young artists of this teatre will have such a priority, which they should have had long ago, as any investments in young people will manyfold returned to every society. We know this theoretically, but do not behave like it. A pity. The unifying Europe - disregardless on what basis - will one day have to pose the question of priorities. The ideal of a fully developed and percetive young person is nothing so consterning, anitque katalogathia knew it and tried to realize it.

In Bohemia this means among other things to activate both the creators and the students of the mentioned schools in the whole spectrum of trends and interests, to take on a certain responsibility for the development and evolution of the theatre for children and youth. If we at the developing drama education the theatre can be there where the famous educator Jan Ámos Comenius placed it, whose heritage we have, in spite of the three hundred years, not reached yet!

30.5.1999 -mik-