A Government Department run by kids: Canberra Youth Theatre puts adults to the test

Posted on 15 October, 2024

Are you sick of your APS job? Stuck in endless meetings? Feel like you never get anything done?

You might be just what they’re looking for at The Department for Responsible Adulting – a new (fictional) government department run entirely by children, that offers an injection of youthful perspective on the problems that need solving in our society.

DoRA (because what’s a government department without a catchy acronym?) is an immersive theatrical experience by Canberra Youth Theatre that aims to reverse the power dynamic between children and adults, and inspire conversations that bridge the generational divide. This original work has been created by professional directors Luke Rogers, Claire Granata and Sophie Tallis, working with a cast of over 30 young performers.

It’s a unique dramatic experience, redefining the experience of theatre and assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia as part of ACT Children’s Week.

“DoRA offers something very different to what most people might expect from youth theatre: it’s theatre by young people, but mostly for adults. The experience for the audience will be fun, confronting, thought-provoking, but ultimately very uplifting: they’ll have a unique encounter that offers a whole new insight into the perspectives of young people, and will challenge them to reassess their responsibilities, values, and power to shape the world,” says Canberra Youth Theatre Artistic Director and CEO Luke Rogers.

Luke Rogers. Photo by Kurt Snedden.

Audiences will meet a ‘department’ of young people aged 8–14, who will interview them for a role at DoRA. As an ‘outstanding candidate’, they’ll be led through a real-life office building, and tasked with tackling big questions, solving problems, and sharing ideas on issues that matter to the young people of Canberra.  In other words, if you buy a ticket for DoRA, you won’t be allowed to sit back and stay quiet.

According to co-director Claire Cranata “Young people are often overlooked for their potential to problem-solve, and for their different ways of looking at things. DoRA is set in a not too distant future where children are tasked with running a federal government department in order to tackle the societal problems that adults haven’t been able to address effectively.  It’s playful and curious, and it will be an exercise in deep listening that will give the young performers and adult audience members the opportunity for some really meaningful intergenerational conversations — it already has for me!”

If you’re the type that recoils from audience interaction, this participatory theatre experience may not be for you; but then, DoRA prides itself on offering “a supportive and encouraging workplace culture”, so what have you got to lose? The young change-makers at Canberra Youth Theatre are confident you might even enjoy it – after all, what if your work was fun? And interesting? And actually made a difference in the world?