Two University of Liverpool researchers have launched a new play and exhibition telling the fascinating story of child performers throughout UK theatre history.
Featuring a kidnapped schoolboy, a Victorian child star, and a modern tween with big dreams, ‘Act Your Age’, created by Dr Esme Miskimmin and Dr Katie Knowles will be brought to life by young actors from the Imaginarium youth theatre group at the Shakespeare North Playhouse on 10 June. There will also be a fun, family friendly exhibition running from 24 May until 10 June.
Dr Esme Miskimmin and Dr Katie Knowles, who are both Senior Lecturers in English Literature in the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, developed ‘Act Your Age’ through their collaborations centred around their research into all-child acting companies in the Early Modern and Victorian periods, and interests and teaching experience in children’s literature.
A life on stage that wasn’t all child’s play
Behind the glamour and greasepaint of public performance, the life of child actors was often one of long hours, demanding rehearsals, and few protections. Based on real-life experiences, the play draws on often forgotten stories such as:
- 13-year-old Thomas Clifton, who in 1600 was kidnapped on his way to school and forced into a career in the theatre
- William Betty, the ‘Young Roscius’, who in 1804 and aged just 13 was so famous that police had to hold back the crowds at his London debut
- Phoebe Carlo who began acting at the age of four, and went on to star in one of the earliest performances of ‘Alice in Wonderland’
- The craze for children’s opera companies in the 1880s, where comic operas were performed by a pint-sized cast.
Act Your Age’ explores the lives of these performers and asks just how different things are today for our younger stars compared to their historical counterparts.
Speaking about the play, Dr Miskimmin said: “’Act Your Age’ is intended to be entertaining and family friendly – both the play and the exhibition offer opportunities for fun and imagination. But there is also the chance for audiences to rethink the connections between past and present, and to learn about the way that perceptions of work and play change through time, especially in relation to children’s roles in the theatre.
“Working with the young actors from Imaginarium has been a unique opportunity. It has brought life and clarity to our project in ways we weren’t expecting and has shown us that approaching academic work though collaboration with the wider community can be hugely beneficial to everyone.”
The project was supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences Participatory Support Fund, which is available to Faculty researchers to cover the costs of co-produced research and to run capacity-building.
On Wednesday 28 May, from 11am to 2pm, Katie and Esme will be hosting a day of free drop-in activities for all ages at the Shakespear North Playhouse, with no booking required.
You can book tickets for the ‘Act Your Age’ performance on 10 June here.