“Knowing your audience is what matters most,” say the founders of No Shoes, a theater company for children and young people: actor and playwright Raimondas Klezys and director and education specialist Dr. Ieva Jackevičiūtė.
At the ConTempo festival in Kaunas, they led theater workshops for children from different regions across Lithuania. For many participants, the project, initiated by ConTempo and the philanthropic Devbridge Foundation, was their first encounter with the performing arts.
Raimondas and Ieva, foto M.Plepys
“There simply aren’t enough opportunities for arts education in our country. Unfortunately, there are still young people who don’t see their first theater performance until they are teenagers,” the artists say. In their view, unlocking creativity can also help young people thrive in many other areas of life.
— Raimondas, Ieva, you’ve been working with children in theater for many years. What should young people and their teachers understand before coming to these workshops—and what should they leave at the door?
Raimondas: First and foremost, they should leave their preconceptions and anxieties at the door. We try to create a very safe environment. The teacher’s role is to observe the group closely and make sure there are no underlying tensions or bullying that could affect the children later on.
We tell children that when actors are performing, the audience shouldn’t talk, because if they do, the actors may think they’re talking about them. We also make a point of noticing children and offering encouragement when they need it.
Often, a child who struggles academically, or who is seen—or sees themselves—as the “bad kid,” can be wonderful in theater. That builds confidence, which is incredibly important.
Ieva: I really want children to leave their various “labels” at the door. Sometimes we see children being written off immediately, both by teachers and their peers. We hear things like, “Oh, this child isn’t going to do anything.”
Every situation is different, but more than once we’ve seen children on the autism spectrum who usually avoid physical contact hold Raimondas’s hand during a performance and take part in activities with him. So it’s valuable to let go of assumptions about other people—and to discover yourself in a new way as well.
ConTempo for Kids Theater Workshop
— How do children respond to these experiences? What do they find most interesting, and what might be most challenging when they come to a theater or movement workshop?
Raimondas: Every child is different. Some have a harder time staying focused, while others find it easier to participate. Just as a doctor first needs to identify the problem, we need to recognize sensitive situations and understand how to work with them.
During the ConTempo for Kids program, for example, some children became nervous when they heard they were going to perform. To them, performing meant a large auditorium, an audience, and a certain amount of fear. But our main goal is to spark curiosity and a love of theater—and to remind them that theater is, at its heart, a form of play.
Ieva: Children value simple, genuine human connection. They run up to say hello, hug you, and quickly accept you as one of their own. Theater is inherently physical. It allows you to cross certain boundaries and build a relationship that combines friendship and authority.
At the same time, we also notice irritability and heightened sensitivity among children. And we’re not even talking about theater or dance skills here—we mean basic abilities such as working as part of a team or simply listening to instructions.
One possible reason is that children have relatively few opportunities, both in and outside of school, to participate in arts education that requires them to focus, sustain their attention, and work collaboratively.
— You work with children across a wide range of ages. How does their relationship with theater change as they grow?
Ieva: There are several layers to that change. We see students who came to our classes and performances when they were very young and who, now as teenagers, have developed a completely different relationship with art and performance.
Very young children don’t necessarily think of going to the theater as “going to the theater.” It’s their first experience of art and simply a nice way to spend time with family and loved ones.
I find elementary school children especially interesting. They already understand the rules, but they haven’t yet developed the kind of detachment you often see in teenagers. Creating work for teenagers isn’t easy, which may be why there are relatively few productions aimed at that age group. Theater often doesn’t seem “cool” enough to them.
As they get older, however, they begin to discover greater depth and themes that give them something to reflect on and talk about. Then theater becomes interesting again.
Raimondas: I can share an example from my own experience. Our children see a lot of theater, and by the time they’re 10 or 12, they’ve already developed their own tastes and have favorite genres. I was genuinely surprised to discover that children can know what they like at such a young age.
— You devote a lot of attention to bringing theater to children outside the major cities. What is arts education like in places where there are fewer cultural events and opportunities?
Raimondas: In my view, our education system doesn’t provide enough exposure to the performing arts. We still meet teenagers who are seeing a theater performance for the first time. It’s hard to believe that this is still possible.
As long as there is even one child in Lithuania who tells us it’s their first time in a school auditorium or local cultural center, these kinds of educational programs will be worthwhile. And I’m not talking only about theater, but about the performing arts more broadly.
Ieva: On the one hand, there are formal programs in place, such as Lithuania’s Culture Pass initiative. But when we work with school curricula, it’s deeply disappointing to see that theater and dance classes aren’t included. We no longer have dedicated training programs for theater educators, either.
How many theater companies actually travel and visit different regions? Some do, but not enough. We still can’t reach every child in Lithuania.
It’s important to understand that theater methods can make it easier for children to discover their creativity, and that creativity can help them excel in many different areas. Once creativity is unlocked, it carries over into everything you do, regardless of what path you ultimately choose.
— Children can’t simply decide to attend a performance on their own—they need parents or teachers to make that possible. What role should adults play in helping children encounter theater earlier and making that first experience a positive one?
Ieva: Of course, it’s important for parents to introduce their children to cultural life. But everyday routines often dictate what’s possible. Between schedules, traffic, and tired children, adding a theater performance to the calendar can be difficult.
And many families don’t even have access to theater or cultural events where they live. What are they supposed to do then—drive their child to another city?
Still, theater is part of a child’s cultural education, so it’s important that schools make room for it.
Raimondas: I also believe teachers play a central role in guiding young people through life. Even when I play music during a class, I try to choose something the children haven’t heard before. Without that introduction, they might never choose to listen to that particular recording or explore that genre on their own.
The same is true of theater. Teachers should explore it themselves, continue learning, stay curious about the field, and then help children discover it too.
— What has working with children taught you? Were there assumptions or stereotypes you had to reconsider?
Raimondas: I used to think that if you prepared an excellent lesson and had the right methods, you were bound to succeed. Working with children teaches you very quickly that this isn’t always the case.
They’ve taught me that even when things aren’t going well, the most important thing is not to lose your connection with them. Maybe that particular lesson will lead to a different kind of breakthrough—a successful creative outcome, or perhaps just a small moment of connection that will turn out to mean something much bigger later on.
Ieva: I realized how important it is to truly know your audience. Working in theater, I naturally used to think mostly about myself: How do I look onstage? What am I communicating?
Working with children reminds you that the performer isn’t the most important person—the person you’re creating the work for is. The audience’s emotions, needs, and behavior shape the creative process, which means we need to devote a great deal of attention to understanding young audiences.
We don’t usually do that to the same extent when creating theater for adults. Today, I have a long list of topics I’ve written down that came directly from our audiences—from their age, their experiences, and the questions that matter to them.
Raimondas: During one residency, we brought together a group of teenagers and asked them what they listened to and what they read. One girl said something that has stayed with me ever since: “We’re interested in the same things you are!”
So it’s also important to keep checking in with yourself as an artist: What interests you? What draws you in? What feels personal or meaningful to you?
ConTempo for Kids Theater Workshop