Table of Contents

Foreword.- Acknowledgments.- Part I TheatreSpace Project Partners and Case Studies.- Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Project, its Partners and its Purposes.- Chapter 3: Access and the Practicalities of Attendance.- Chapter 4: The Context of the Performance Event.- Chapter 5: The Education Landscape.- Chapter 6: Young Audiences from the Educators' Perspective.- Chapter 7: The Industry Partners’ Perceptions.- Chapter 8: Engagement and Liveness.- Chapter 9: Building Theatre Confidence.- Chapter 10: Theatre Literacy.- Chapter 11: ‘It’s Real’ - Genre and Performance Style.- Chapter 12: Conclusion – a Continuum for Planning.

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"This extraordinary book thoroughly explains why young people (ages 14-25+) do and do not attend theatre into adulthood by delineating how three inter-linked factors (literacy, confidence, and etiquette) influence their decisions. Given that theatre happens inside spectators' minds, the authors balance the theatre equation by focusing upon young spectators and thereby dispel numerous beliefs held by theatre artists and educators. Each clearly written chapter engages readers with astute insights and compelling examples of pertinent responses from young people, teachers, and theatre professionals. To stem the tide of decreasing theatre attendance, this highly useful book offers pragmatic strategies for artistic, educational, and marketing directors, as well as national theatre organizations and arts councils around the world. I have no doubt that its brilliantly conceived research, conducted across multiple contexts in Australia, will make a significant and original contribution to the profession of theatre on an international scale." Jeanne Klein, University of Kansas, USA "Young Audiences, Theatre and the Cultural Conversation is a compelling and comprehensive study on attitudes and habits of youth theatre audiences by leading international scholars in the field. This benchmark study offers unique insights by and for theatre makers and administrators, theatre educators and researchers, schools, parents, teachers, students, audience members of all ages. A key strength within the book centers on the emphasis of the participant voices, particularly the voices of the youth. Youth voices, along with those of teachers and theatre artists, position the extensive field research front and center." George Belliveau, The University of British Columbia, Canada