Children's theatre in the UK is thriving. Debates about why children should watch theatre and what educational, emotional and expressive benefits it can provide inform cultural policy on education. Children aged 4-11 are increasingly taken to watch tailored theatre performances, yet there has been virtually no reflective research on what theatre means to children. This book is the first to investigate the nature of children's theatrical perceptions and their experiences of being in an audience. Mathew Reason uses innovative visual-arts based audience research, practitioner interviews and contextual analysis to explore the nature of young children's experiences of live theatre and the implications for its providers. He investigates three key areas: (1) the cultural policy, educational and creative contexts in which theatre for children is made; (2) children's aesthetic experiences of theatre; and (3) the approaches through which children's engagement with theatre can be enhanced, extended and deepened. "The Young Audience" provides vital insights into how we can better support and enhance children's engagement with theatre. Its exploration of how young children perceive and respond to live theatre performances is invaluable for teachers, artists, researchers, students, policy makers and other professionals working with theatre or with young children in other contexts and environments.