Should you let kids enjoy the richness of theatre, or be sensitive to other audience members? It's a hard balance to strike
The Great Escape, Kazuko Hohki's inventive promenade production for children is, as Lyn Gardner rightly said in her review, "an understated piece, full of delicate touches". Inspired by the novels of Mary Norton, author of The Borrowers, the piece invites an audience of six to 11-year-olds to don lab coats and play investigator, searching the stairwells and attic space of the Battersea Arts Centre for evidence of borrower activity. It celebrates the miniature. There's matchstick furniture and elastic band mandolins, cymbals fashioned from bottle caps and tiny treasures secreted on windowsills. It is a gentle production that casts a spell on its young audience and draws them into a world where borrowers not only exist but are in need of their assistance.
Delicacy of touch is also required by the adults involved. Hohki has a team of white-coated chaperones to keep an eye on the audience, but inevitably some parents and teachers will end up participating. On the day I saw the show a local school party was in attendance with their teacher, who boomed at the children at half-minute intervals, demanding silence and order. Her voice dominated the opening section of the show and she occasionally terminated the children's responses to the performers and the material. She was a formidable figure, almost Trunchbullian at times, and made sure that not just the children but everyone present stayed in line. At times she threatened to torpedo the gentle magic of the show.
Yet when I described the situation to teachers I know later on, they all sympathised with her. Taking schoolchildren on any form of outing, they explained patiently, can be a fraught and demanding task and it's vital the children understand what's expected of them, both for their own well being and for the greater reputation of the school. And, of course, lack of discipline and supervision can be equally if not more damaging to the experience than draconianism.
It's a difficult balance to strike. It is shows like Hohki's that first reveal to young audiences the richness of theatre, and eventually this one did hook them. Any production that invites participation and interaction writes its own pact with the audience and the children quickly grasped what their role was. Eventually the teacher also seemed to relax and loosen her grip on her pupils, albeit briefly.
Sharing an auditorium with an audience of children as they respond vocally to what's before them can often make for a thrilling and truly theatrical experience. I still remember fondly the gasps of excitement and delight as paper doves spiralled down from the ceiling at the end of Melly Still's Cinderella at the Lyric Hammersmith.
It's true that bad behaviour unchecked can be disruptive for other audience members and performers alike, but nor is a blanket of silence desirable, at least not in a production of this kind. It's surely a question of striking a balance – something that's particularly pertinent at this time of year when so many shows are targeted at younger audiences. If there are any teachers reading, it would be particularly interesting to hear their thoughts.