Theatre for Early Years

Finding that various aspects of the show frightened Annie, Katherine decided that we should develop a form of theatre tailored to the needs, interests and concentration spans of under fives.

In 1987, the first performance for newborns, Joëlle Rouland’s L'oiseau serein [The Serene Bird], was presented in France,[6] at the same time as Italy’s La Baracca – Testoni Ragazzi began their career with Acqua [Water].

[7] La Baracca's founders, Roberto and Valeria Frabetti, were invited by staff at a Bologna nido [creche] to develop a workshop, and later a performance, for their children aged from 3 months to 5 years.

Over the following 25 years, La Baracca has been at the forefront of research and creation of theatre experiences for ever younger audiences, with almost thirty different plays now produced for the under-fives.

Fairy tales, picture books and traditional children’s literature have all provided inspiration for narrative productions,[14] as have commercial TV and film franchises, such as Sesame Street and Disney on Ice.

[23] TEY can be defined by its purposeful design, with experiences carefully crafted especially for babies and their adult companions; this may mean attending to practical issues such as seating layout and minimising blackouts,[24] employing knowledge from developmental psychology, neuroscience and cognitive science to tailor productions to the capabilities of a tightly prescribed audience (such as the pre-verbal but mobile stage between 12 and 18 months).