Beyond the culture of concern: the context and practice of TYA in contemporary Northern Ireland

This essay explores the ways in which Theatre for Young Audiences in Northern Ireland has responded to a context in which children and childhood are regarded as vulnerable and in need of protection through legal provisions and educational structures that inhibit their autonomy and experience of childhood. Such concerns while widely shared within Western cultures are specifically inflected in Northern Ireland by concerns about sectarianism and sexual abuse. In contrast to these social structures, TYA practice in Northern Ireland is driven by a desire to expand the experiences of children. Through practices that are informed by an engagement with the wider culture of TYA internationally, children are able to access innovative experiences that reflect their own lives and reconfigure the places they inhabit.