The SceSam Project—Interactive dramaturgies in performing arts for children

Abstract

ABSTRACTSceSam—Interactive dramaturgies in performing arts for children is a Norwegian artistic research project that has examined interactivity as an artistic strategy in performing arts for children aged 0–12. The project has consisted of theatre performances, research, seminars, and a festival, and the investigations have been both theoretical and practical. In this article, the authors present and discuss the SceSam Project as a contribution to the field of artistic research in a European context. The project bridges artistic practice and theoretical perspectives on interactive dramaturgies in the context of cultural politics, interdisciplinarity, and participatory art. The article gives a field analysis (part one) and presentation (part two) of the SceSam Project. The SceSam Working Model (part three) provides six dramaturgical categories spanning from closed dramatic form on one end to open improvised form on the other, and offers an analytical tool for discussions on the aesthetic and social value of participation and interaction. The project points to the general need for formal education in performing arts for children in the broader perspectives of social art, drama pedagogy, and children’s culture (part four). The authors conclude that art and research can productively interact in the process of examining specific dramaturgical moments of children’s participation.