When I went to Assitej2017, I knew about
Arts Council England’s Seven quality principles. I did not know about the
Danish Seven that had been in existence since the 80s. Or the Australian Five. And then I remembered
that Arts Council England has a further Nine.
Are we measuring what matters? Or is it
even possible to measure? Probably not, art is inherently subjective so it is
not possible to find a metric to measure definitively. And in live theatre different performances
will vary with different audiences. To paraphrase Francois Matarasso, we do not
look to find if the show is excellent in some abstract sense but if it is
excellent on this night, with this audience, in this place. And everyone will
have their opinion, judgment and discernment. For Mr. Hisashi Shimoyama, from the
Rica Rica Festival in Japan, a good piece of theatre for young people was one
that encouraged children to continue to live. How do we measure this? Are their
eyes engaged in the action? Is there a collective gasp at a reveal in the plot?
Are they laughing at moments you expect, or at other moments? Are they talking
about the show afterwards?
Mary Rose Lloyd from the New Victory
Theatre suggested a definitive system of measurement is elusive as a Unicorn.
However, it is useful to have some
questions and statements to prompt those conversations, whether with peers,
with children and young people, teachers or other stakeholders. So for the
record, here are the ways, as discussed at Assitej2017.
The
Danish Seven
1. Artistic
objectives
Does the company have a genuine commitment
to its work?
Why this production? Why are they making
theatre at all?
Is it evident that this particular
company see the need of playing this particular play in this
particular way at this particular time?
2.
The Text (Alternatively in the case of productions with little or no text:the
dramatic development)
Is there a dramaturgical development?
3.
The Solutions to the staging
Meaning all the decisions taken in relation
to the text eg. Design, music, direction.
What is the impression as a whole?
4.
The Actor’s work
The characters – are they credible? Do they
develop? Are they multi-faceted?
What is the interplay with the spectators?
5. Relations
to the audience
Are the children (in the audience) taken
seriously?
Does the production captivate its audience?
Is it clear that this particular company
is concerned about addressing this particular audience on this
special day?
Are they prepared to respond to the
audience?
6.
Relations between the intentions and the abilities of the company
Do the ambitions match the skills of the
company?
7.
Ethics
The ultimate and overall idea of the production.
What is the encounter?
Arts
Council England Seven (for children and young
people – all arts)
1. Striving for excellence and innovation
2. Being authentic
3. Being exciting, inspiring and engaging
4. Ensuring a positive and inclusive
experience
5. Actively involving children and young
people
6. Enabling personal progression
7. Developing belonging and ownership
The
Australian Five (all arts)
1. Captivating
2. Emotional resonance
3. Intellectual stimulation
4. Aesthetic enrichment
5. Social bridging and bonding
The Arts
Council England Nine (all arts)
Statements from which artists can invite
audiences to tell them what they value about the work. Each statement is scored on a simple metric
scale.
1. Concept: it was an interesting idea
2. Presentation: it was well produced and presented
3. Distinctiveness: it was different from things I’ve experienced before
4. Challenge: it was thought-provoking
5. Captivation: it was absorbing and held my attention
6. Enthusiasm: I would come to something like this again
7. Local impact: it is important that it's happening here
8. Relevance: it has something to say about the world in which we live
9. Rigour: it was well thought through and put together
No comments:
Post a Comment