The Theatre and Youth talk Photo: Courtesy of He Ming

How to educate young people and entice them into theaters has long been a question discussed by veterans of the stage arts the world over. At the ongoing World Class Theater for Chinese Audiences forum on Thursday, the dialogue Theatre and Youth: Theatre Practice for Youth tackled this issue. 

Wang Keran, a producer from Chinese cultural company Magnificent Culture, emphasized that the theater industry needs to implement comprehensive education concerning the theater, while Zhou Xing from China's Ministry of Education said that theater education has a broader definition, which includes human thoughts, emotions and expression. 

Overseas theater directors and actors including Jean Varela, Florence March, Philippe Martz and Oriol Broggi, also share their experiences and thoughts on this topic. 

In the eyes of Varela, theater education is one of the most important means to raise people's ability to appreciate the art form. He noted that France has a long tradition and history in performing arts education especially after the French Revolution when many schools were set up for the performing arts. 

"I was forced by my mum to attend these performance classes in the hopes of helping me get rid of my shyness and self-abasement over my obesity when I was a kid. It turned out she was right," he said. 

March, who focuses on arts education and research, said that his project Spring of School aims to help youngsters aged 14-16 with the goal of "helping them become better people." 

These guests also gave different advice to encourage more and more young people to walk into the theaters. Anais Martane from Magnificent Culture pitched the idea of low-priced student tickets on days like Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which she said will help kids turn the performing arts into a hobby. 

"In France, the price for kids can be very low, so that parents can take them to many plays. This is also an important part of theater education," she said.