an interest in theatre among youth and sustaining their passion for the arts
• Youth view theatre as something that enriches their lives and not as a
39 potential means of livelihood , and hence they are not fully willing to commit to developing their craft or even viewing theatre as a permanent part-time endeavour
Generating an Audience for Tamil Theatre among Youth
Building the Youth audience - Creating exposure
• Why should youth come out of their comfort zone to watch a Tamil play ?
• Such questions once again come down to the basics of language use beyond the formal boundaries of the classroom : evoking an intrinsic motivation vs . providing external incentives
What attracts youth audience
• Simplicity of the language used in theatre scripts makes it easier for Youth to understand the play
• Inclusion of various youth lingo in script would also create relatability among youth audience
• Greater proportion of the cast and crew being made up of youth will eventually attract other youth in their own social circles to support their friends involved in the production
General Challenges Faced by Youth Participating in Tamil Theatre
Time constraints : Participating in a Youth do not view theatre as a viable career production is usually a heavy commitment option in the future which comes at the expense of one ’ s own time for other commitments ( e . g . school ) This can cause some reluctance amongst youth when deciding whether or not to participate in Tamil Theatre
○ E . g . Multiple trainings per week has the tendency to make the youth hesitant to taking up such opportunities .
o On the other hand , if it is a production organized by Youth themselves , they are able to better schedule the practices to suit them since they are aware of the general exam periods and are able to better tailor the production schedule for the participants
Youths are more holistically involved in productions if it is a production led by Youth
● For instance , in school productions , there are many different aspects of the production like publicity , marketing , ticketing and props that youth can be involved in
● Even if they are not part of the cast and crew , they are exposed to other aspects of the production , which keeps them connected to the art form in one way or another
• “ The arts and culture have had a side-lined history in the Singapore story , due to the emphasis on material success and economic development in the national narrative ” ( Fern , 2017 )
• Hence , while they do treat the experience as a learning process , are not keen to take up any leadership positions or prominent roles in the Tamil Theatre industry as they are unsure of its prospects
• The local Tamil theatre scene can therefore neither retain the pool of youth talent nor sustain the entry of newcomers into the industry
Extent of Involvement in Production
● There is higher mobility in terms of the roles within the production , and since youth can play multiple roles within a single production , there is greater scope for learning
● Youth have completed creative autonomy over their production , as compared to external productions where youth may lack artistic freedom in deciding on the storyline