Dalija Acin Thelander

What motivates me to create for younger audiences is the perception of the child as an equal to the adult, worthy of being introduced to the arts in the early years. Inspired by the notion of the relevance of childhood experience to our understanding of the human condition, my motivation is based on the boundless curiosity of developing exploration alongside a child, seeing a child as a partner in learning, as well as generating an understanding of the meaning and value of artistic experience. My motivation lies in the recognition of the urgency of questioning the perspective of performing arts for younger audiences within a general artistic and cultural context. I believe that shows for younger audiences should propose a valuable experience for both the child and the adult. They should resist the instrumentalization imposed by traditional ideas of the educational function of children's theatre, decline theatrical conventions, oculocentrism and patriarchal domination, and deny the concept of ultimate knowledge of the correct way to experience the world.