DRAMA - Theatre for Babies

During my drama and dance studies with Johanna Searles, I was introduced to the concept of babies being participants in the dramatic arts, and to the work of both Sally Chance and Polyglot Theatre. These companies create beautiful works of interactive theatre aimed at babies and their carers, with many opportunities for the children to contribute both directly and indirectly to the performance.

Theory and research are the basis for Sally Chance’s work; for example, Cooper, Hoffman, Marvin & Powell’s Circle of Security (1998) provides the basis for her piece, This (Baby) Life (Insite Arts, 2015). According to this theory, babies venture out to explore their world, returning often to their caregiver who provides security and safety for them. Chance takes advantage of this, giving babies the opportunity to enter the performance space and interact with performers and objects, while carers sit around the outside providing security and a safe place to return to throughout the performance. Polyglot Theatre, on the other hand, experiment with innovative ideas and leading questions, for example, ‘Is it possible for adults to experience the world as babies do?’ (Polyglot, n.d., para. 3). These performances also make use of all three Performing Arts areas, music, dance, and of course drama.

The Circle of Security (1998)

Viewing the works, I was captivated, and immediately wanted more to do with them. As an educator, I feel that these concepts could quite easily be brought to an early childhood environment. The focus on babies’ exploration of their environment could be achieved using music (perform some music yourself, or find a quality recording) and various natural and recycled props (because sustainability is important… and fun!). Even with just one or two adults, new and exciting environments can be created for babies to explore. As Bruner (as cited in Wright, 2003, p. 39) so beautifully states, educators must ‘create in the young an appreciation of the fact that many worlds are possible, that meaning and reality are created and not discovered’.

Key curriculum links:

Early Years Learning Framework:

• Outcome 1.4 – Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect

• Outcome 4.1 – Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

• Outcome 5.1 – Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes

This (Baby) Life, Sally Chance (n.d.)

How High the Sky, Polyglot Theatre (n.d.)