The focus on adolescents in recent years has led to a risk of ethnicization (Tolomelli, 2025), so much so that it is necessary to develop a new perspective on the perspectives of adolescents. No longer ''adolescence'', but an awareness of the plurality that lies within an age group with different class connotations (Antonelli, 2021).

The theatre, despite being a place of no more than occasional attendance for young people (Doria, Brusa, 2022), regardless of social class, can help us better understand ''adolescences''. We have, in fact, the possibility of establishing a parallel between the condition of the spectator and the condition of adolescents today, because of that seeing often goes hand in hand with not being seen (Lancini, 2025).

In international literature, there are few comprehensive theoretical studies on adolescents and theatre that attempt to explore common characteristics among the various experiences developed locally, a gap also confirmed by texts that attempt to reconstruct its history (Cipolla, Coluccini, 2023). Especially regarding adolescence, few studies in the literature understand the type of relationship established between an adolescent spectator and a place like the theatre, with  focus on seeing theatre and not on acting theatre.

Indeed, the theatre can be experienced both as a formal and institutional place, with the rigidity of apparatus, and as a place of encounter with the new, with the visualization of emotions and empowerment (Bertolini, Caronia, 2015; Tolomelli, 2022). This paper attempts to create a theoretical framework with four elements.

The first concerns an adolescent's encounter with theatre: how it occurs, whether and how it changes over time, and whether it is an experience more reminiscent of a gift or of resistance (Biesta, 2022) than an educational activity tied to reward and recognition, or to an evaluation that certifies its nature as a formal learning experience.

The second area of ​​observation concerns encounters with others. The social aspect of going to the theater, how it is perceived, whether it persists even after the lights are turned off, and whether it leads to a better understanding of others and of the people with whom one interacts, even outside the theatre.

The third dimension involves a reflection on spectatorship: understanding under what conditions the rules of behaviour and the construction of the theatrical space constitute an obstacle to access and are influenced by a tradition historically situated within a desired otherness, chosen by bourgeois Western society to give an high value (Sedgman, 2018). This helps us understand students' perceptions of participation, of the spectator's condition.

The last area of ​​investigation concerns the encounter with otherness from the perspective of the new. Under what conditions does the unexpected event reconfigure categories (Zizek, 2014)? Can the artist's message, which seeks to undermine stereotypes, open a path of criticism towards dominant thought (Llergo, Ceballos, 2023)? It is also interesting to understand when the spectator feels emancipated (Ranciere, 2008), competent or incompetent, ideal or ordinary (Sacchi, 2009) and whether this feeling is linked to a demographic or social issue, whether the correlation with class elements is valid.

The methodology remains theoretical, attempting to organize studies and inputs that have never been combined to conduct systematic investigations into adolescent theatre audience participation. Studies pertaining to audience development and theatre participation are therefore reviewed, seeking references to adolescent audiences and experiments conducted in various European contexts that have generated publications that account for those individual projects. This literature is complemented by interdisciplinary input on adolescence and adolescent viewing from developmental psychology, educational philosophy, and pedagogy. These perspectives are complemented by more recent studies in theatre studies, sociology, and semiotics, which may have a direct impact on theatre audience participation. This may be a first step toward further scoping reviews and empirical investigations.

This paper aims to create a theoretical framework of four dimensions that can be explored in an adolescent's theatrical experience, combining aesthetic, theatrical, pedagogical, philosophical, and political aspects. This framework becomes the basis for subsequent individual empirical research that will lead to a representation of the adolescent within this dimension generated at this intersection. Since there are no comprehensive literature reviews on the topic, this may be helpful for theater scholars and pedagogists, as well as for educators and theater practitioners.The framework could serve as a basis for bridging the gap in the literature, especially with respect to the abundance of studies on children's spectatorship. The expected results could help us to understand adolescence at a time of strong demand for new reading tools and places to welcome adolescents. They are increasingly able to express their emotions when they find meaningful adults and places, yet struggle to understand how to become meaningful. In conjunction with the European Union's study and research initiatives, this framework could be intertwined with the themes of audience development and the expansion of youth participation in public life and politics.

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