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.
Lowdown and the turbulent 1980s Part I – 1980-1986 A history and commentary by Tony...
Keep readingIan Chance, as Margaret Leask had done 9 years before from Berlin in the AYPAA newsletter,...
Keep readingMark Radvan’s Youth Theatre: An Essay had been commissioned and prepared by Theatre...
Keep readingLowdown and the turbulent 1980s Part II – 1986-1989 A history and commentary by Tony...
Keep readingLowdown 's focus on Tasmania in September 1982 included an interview with Max Bingham,...
Keep readingYoung People and the Arts Australia’s forerunner, the Australian Youth Performing Arts...
Keep readingIn July 1982 Lowdown looked at NSW companies and the support the NSW government was giving to...
Keep readingLowdown interviewed Race Matthews, Victoria's Minister for the Arts, in its December 1982...
Keep readingOn 7 March 1982, the AYPAA (Australian Youth Performing Arts Association) voted at its AGM to...
Keep readingLowdown Editor Andrew Bleby visited Perth in 1982 at festival time. He gives an overview of...
Keep readingIn a series of articles, Lowdown Editor Ian Chance profiled SA theatre for young people in...
Keep readingBy the beginning of 1986, Director Michael FitzGerald had the preparations for the 1987 ASSITEJ...
Keep readingLowdown Features Editor John Emery travelled to Brisbane in 1988 to cover the first Queensland...
Keep readingRead key articles by Ian Chance and John Emery . In Australian youth performing arts,...
Keep readingIan Chance’s national review of youth theatre practice in late 1988 provided a host of...
Keep readingFormer Lowdown Editor Ian Chance was a passionate advocate for the Northern Territory...
Keep readingTony Mack
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