Lowdown - 1980s

Australia has a long history of taking on cultural influences from outside the country and synthesising them into something uniquely Australian. This was the case in the 1980s, when Australian youth performing arts practitioners embarked on a long and at times bitter series of debates about the function, form and content of their work. During this time they synthesised a range of overseas and homegrown influences in Australian theatre for young audiences and youth arts practice, including Theatre in Education, developmental drama, political theatre, alternative theatre and community arts.

In 1987, Australia also became the centre of world youth performing arts for a short time during the 1987 ASSITEJ World Congress in Adelaide. This triennial global gathering of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ) had a profound impact on Australian youth performing arts over the next decades.

For an overview of the decade, go to the Lowdown 1980s commentary and history for the period 1980-1986 or the period 1986-1989.