This paper is based on an inquiry carried out among a small group of children between the ages of 10 and 12 years, who, in the framework of an art-workshop, attended two theatrical performances of the same subject, Homer's Odyssey, but of quite different directorial approaches: the first performance had a narrative character following the basic…

This dissertation explores how children (ages five-twelve) engage with the past through performance. Three case studies treating nineteenth-century western US history yield information about a spectrum of performance activities ranging from living history to community theatre to doll play. Reflecting on Richard Schechner's concept of…