THe deparment of responsible adulting
CREATED by CANBERRA YOUTH THEATRE
Canberra Youth Theatre
2024
Lead Artists
Claire Granata
Luke Rogers
Sophie Tallis
Costume Designer Helen Wojtas
Stage Manager Rhiley Winnett
Photography Andrew Sikorski
World Premiere
Your coffee tastes like Milo.
Your manager is sleeping off a sugar-crash.
How did your tie get stapled to your desk?
And why is everything sticky?
You arrive at work, the same as any other day – but something’s off. Your office, your team, your department have all been taken over by young people: welcome to The Department of Responsible Adulting.
The leaders of tomorrow have run out of patience and are running the employee evaluation of a lifetime: How well do you think you’re adulting? Who put you in charge? What makes you so sure you’re even cut out for the job?
Commandeering a real office space in Canberra, this site-specific interactive performance reverses the power dynamic between adult and child, taking audiences into the belly of a new public service run entirely by children.
The Department of Responsible Adulting is an inventive, anarchic, immersive new work created by Canberra Youth Theatre that will promote intergenerational conversations and empower young people. Literally. They have lanyards.
Audience Responses
“It made me feel things I wasn't expecting! It's not like sitting in an audience watching, it's more like being watched and evaluated.”
“A touching, moving performance that challenged my ideals and the way that I interact with children.”
“A terrific example of interactive theatre work and 1:1 performance, challenging audiences as participants and young people to help prepare them for the future ... was also so fun to engage in installation and performance art as an immersive experience.”
“An incredibly creative, youth-led immersive experience.”
“An immersive and not so naive spoof on public service as imagined by young people exploring the futility of challenging some of the complex issues that currently challenge and impact our way of life."
