ASSITEJ Magazine 2019

RACHEL ABERLE IS THE ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
OF GREEN THUMB THEATRE. SHE LIVES ON THE
TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES OF THE COAST SALISH
PEOPLE (VANCOUVER, CANADA).
In reflecting on my work in TYA, it strikes me
that the kind of work I gravitate towards is in
a constant state of confronting the present.
I am the Associate Artistic Director at Green
Thumb Theatre, which has been producing work
addressing social issues for young audiences for
over 40 years.
I am also a playwright, and have so far focused
Digging int
on work for teen audiences – again, always with a
focus on digging into the kinds of social issues they
face in their daily lives.
Creating this kind of work can be tricky. The vast
majority of teenagers in North America, if they’ve
seen any theatre at all, have seen Shakespeare, or
perhaps their school’s yearly musical production.
While I think musicals and the classics are valid
forms of theatre, I also think that presenting
only these two examples provides teens with
a decidedly skewed vision of what theatre is
and can be. For teens that only have access to
Shakespeare, I would imagine that if anything, they
would think of theatre as being in a constant state
of confronting the past.
In instances where schools bring in a theatre
production created specifically for teens, there is
almost always the expectation from parents and
teachers that the work will teach young people a
lesson. This is especially true if the work is described
as addressing a social issue. Why bother addressing
a social issue if you’re not going to tell young people
what they’re supposed to think about it?
Speaking from my own experience, I know that
I have never connected with art that beats me
over the head with its “message.” Furthermore,
requiring TYA to moralize limits us from digging
into murkier areas of life. Life throws situations at
all of us, regardless of age, where there may not be
a clear right or wrong. How can we create TYA that
explores these rich and complex topics if we are
only willing to explore situations where the “dos”
and “don’ts” are black and white?
60 Towards the Unknown – Confronting the Present