Audience and Engagement

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is lesson 8 of 10 in the Year 9 Drama unit "Exploring Artaud's Theatre." It focuses on the role of the audience within Antonin Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty, emphasising how audience engagement is not passive but integral and transformative. Students will critically examine and experience this dynamic, relating it to contemporary theatre practice.

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National Curriculum Alignment

Key Stage 3 - Drama Programmes of Study (English National Curriculum):

• Performing
  • Pupils should develop confidence, physical and vocal skills, and ensemble work (DfE, 2013).
  • Through improvisation and role-play, they should explore character, narrative and genre, including non-naturalistic forms.
• Appreciation and Evaluation
  • Pupils evaluate performance styles and critically analyse how meaning is communicated through performance conventions.
• Knowledge and Understanding
  • Understand a range of theatrical traditions and styles, including Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

1. Explain the role and impact of the audience in Antonin Artaud’s theatrical philosophy.
2. Analyse how audience engagement shapes theatrical meaning and experience.
3. Practise techniques that blur performer-audience boundaries to create an immersive experience.
4. Reflect critically on their experience and evaluate how differing audience responses can alter a performance’s effect.

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Resources

• Short excerpts from Artaud’s writings (simplified for Year 9).
• Video clips demonstrating Theatre of Cruelty performances from professional productions or devised student work (with vivid audience interaction).
• Open space for physical activities.
• Whiteboard/flip chart for recording ideas.
• Worksheet with reflective questions.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (10 minutes)

Discussion: What is the role of the audience?

• Pose the question: “In most theatre you’ve seen, what do audiences do?” and gather responses (listening, clapping, watching quietly...).
• Introduce Artaud’s radical idea that the audience is not just passive but a participant whose engagement transforms the performance.
• Show a brief clip that illustrates intense audience engagement (e.g., performance disrupting the “fourth wall” or addressing the audience directly).
• Write key ideas and vocabulary on the board: participation, immersion, confrontation, transformation.

2. Introduction to Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty (10 minutes)

• Provide a concise explanation of Artaud’s goals: to shock the senses, communicate on a visceral level, break conventional performer-audience separation.
• Read aloud an accessible excerpt from Artaud’s writing about the audience’s role.
• Check comprehension with quick Q&A: “Why might Artaud want the audience to feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed?”

3. Active Exploration Activity (25 minutes)

“Breaking the Barrier” Ensemble Exercises

• Divide class into 5 groups of 5. Each group creates a short (2-minute) performance inspired by Artaud’s principles to directly engage an audience.
• Clear instructions: use sound, movement, eye contact, and space to break down the traditional audience/performer divide.
• Each group performs in turn for the class (the class acts as the audience). Encourage active, physical, and emotional responses.
• After each performance, invite the “audience” to describe how it felt, what they noticed about their role, and how it differed from typical theatre experiences.

4. Reflection and Feedback (10 minutes)

• Distribute a worksheet with reflective questions:
  • How did it feel to perform while directly engaging the audience?
  • How did it feel to be the audience in these performances?
  • How might this change your understanding of theatre?
• Pair-share to discuss responses briefly.
• Ask a few students to share their insights aloud.

5. Plenary (5 minutes)

Consolidating understanding

• Summarise key points: Artaud challenged audiences to be active participants; this alters the experience and meaning of theatre.
• Pose a final question for students to ponder: “How might this idea influence the way we watch or create future performances?”
• Explain the next lesson will explore Artaud’s use of sound and physicality further.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation of group work and participation in discussion.
• Verification of conceptual understanding via worksheet reflections.
• Continued assessment of expressive and evaluative skills in their devised work.

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Differentiation

• Support for students with additional needs: assign roles in group work tailored to strengths (e.g., director, performer, observer).
• Stretch activities for more able: challenge students to create moments that provoke specific emotions like discomfort or amazement.

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Cross-Curricular Links

• English: Critical reading of Artaud’s text and exploration of audience-performer dialogue.
• PSHE: Discussion on emotional responses and empathy through theatre.

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This lesson offers a kinaesthetic and cognitive exploration of Theatre of Cruelty that meets National Curriculum goals while encouraging creative risk-taking and reflective thinking essential for drama students at Key Stage 3.