The Tooth Fairy has not composed Let it Be. He has not played in the most famous band in history either. He has not performed in Madrid for eight years. On the contrary, you can visit him every day in his own house, right in the centre of the capital. However, the rodent does resemble Paul McCartney in one thing: both sell out tickets in a matter of hours. Or minutes. On a Tuesday at the end of June, just before 11am, a queue of people of all ages waited for the museum of the famous rodent to open. All with their tickets purchased in advance. The families who had trusted the ticket office, on the other hand, discovered that there was no more room. If anything, by the end of the afternoon. They were forced to turn around. And, above all, to deal with the disappointment of the little ones.
-Let’s go?
-We can not.
-Because?
It is difficult to answer the very legitimate question that a little boy in a baseball cap asked his grandfather. Among other things, because he would have to talk to him about conciliation, capitalism, frustrated hopes and generational changes. Nor would it console him to know that his disappointment is not an isolated case. A few days earlier, a couple asked their imagination to help them explain to their three-year-old son that they had to leave without entering the exhibition. The Science of Pixarat the Caixaforum in Madrid: “Buzz Lightyear had to go to sleep.” The three of them returned, this time with success, the following day. “There is a proliferation of cultural activities for children. And the usual tendency is that tickets fly,” summarises Pablo Martínez García, deputy manager of Tritoma, a company specialising in organising artistic events for decades. “When we started, in 1979, there was hardly any offer for children. And, as it was for children, it was not considered. Now it is given the same importance,” adds Iñaki Juárez Montolío, artistic director of the Arbolé puppet theatre in Zaragoza.
Demography, sociology and economics come together to understand the growing importance of exhibitions, screenings, shows, readings or concerts for young audiences. The sources consulted, including families and workers in the sector, point in several directions: first of all, the greater commitment of millennial parents to spend time quality with their children. “It was unthinkable in the mid-nineties that a father would go to see a Cantajuegos,” says Martínez García.
The offer itself, according to several interviewees, has increased its appeal: it takes children more seriously and, at the same time, entertains adults better. “We try to demand that children go a little further. But we are also aware that, in children’s performances, half of the audience is made up of adults. And since theatre is a live art, you can modify it day by day,” says Juárez Montolío. The success in cinemas in From the Reverse 2 suggests what happens when all ages are cast at once. What the series achieves, on the smaller screen, Bluey.
“When you are a parent, your leisure plans end up being focused mainly on your children. You can’t take them to see Puccini. But a children’s show that has some relation, even if from another perspective, also satisfies your need to do something,” Martínez García adds another argument. Or, to put it another way, if you are no longer on the dance floor with all your favourite bands, you will always have your children’s bands. At the cost, sometimes, of making your tastes more flexible.
Years ago, exhausted after the umpteenth forced viewing of Paw Patrolscreenwriter Borja Cobeaga joked on social network X about getting a few parents together to “go and give the creator, Keith V. Chapman, a scare.” Another parent recounts his recent experience at a children’s stage: “It was supposedly a concert for children, but all there was was a man shaking two maracas and a girl playing the violin.” He seriously doubts that his little girl would have fun. And he adds: “At least it was free.”
Here a few shadows emerge from the matter. On the one hand, not all sectors offer the same options. A children’s film was the last thing seen by one in 10 theatre-goers, according to data from the statistical yearbook published each year by the Ministry of Culture. To believe it, just take a look at the frequency of animated premieres for children. But, in the theatre, the same statistic rises to one in 20 spectators. Children’s and young people’s books accounted for 11.4% of the total works registered in 2022 in the ISBN registry. However, only 0.5% of popular music concerts held in the same year were aimed at younger audiences, according to the SGAE yearbook.
“One issue behind several problems affecting children, such as the excessive use of digital devices, is related to the lack of leisure alternatives. I am referring to activities that allow people to enjoy healthy free time and help them to fully develop as people. It is important that everyone can participate in initiatives of this type,” adds Rubén Pérez Correa, Secretary of State for Youth and Childhood. The right of “everyone” to access culture, which is protected by Article 44 of the Constitution, begins at the cradle. But, in many cases, the offer is not enough to meet the demand, at least judging by the data from SGAE and Culture, and the opinion of experts and families from Madrid, Galicia, Catalonia, the Basque Country or Aragon consulted. Inequalities also emerge.
In the heart of the capital or other large cities, the public chooses between several possibilities, but competes with an endless number of applicants for a ticket. In the outskirts and less populated places, there is often a shortage of alternatives. “People who live in the centre have many more options. Most of the plans usually come from there. For the rest of us, it means adding more expenses and logistics,” says Irene Hernández, mother of a seven-year-old girl. All of this, at least in the largest cities, translates into the volatilisation of the most sought-after tickets. If not, try signing up for the children’s workshops at the Madrid Circo Price. In Zaragoza, the Arbolé is dealing with different problems: “We are finally recovering the pre-pandemic attendance levels. We are in the middle of a park, but almost never does anyone who passes by show interest in the theatre. The public that comes is because they are directly looking for the theatre.” Montolío does, however, show her doubts that her niche of loyal spectators can be extrapolated for an analysis of the whole of Spain.
The veteran puppeteer underlines another controversial issue: “There are public theatres in all cities. And it is taken for granted that shows for adults cost money. But when they are made for children they have to be free or almost free. For private companies (although we receive a lot of public aid), it means strong unfair competition. There are parents who tell us: ‘Ah, but you have to pay. How shameful.’ However, the opposite phenomenon can also occur. Prices above 20 euros in many shows at the Ifema venue in the capital, for example, filter out more than one social class. And sometimes, in addition, payment is followed by a dubious or even misleading initiative that seeks to take advantage of the market pull. “There are more and more people who put a ball pit for you to take photos and upload them to Instagram, and that is already the novelty,” Hernández laments. “There are things that make no sense at all,” said a father from A Coruña, before going to see the Ratoncito Pérez.
Among other things, the insecurities of every parent are exploited: what if that dance or theatre class for babies turned out to be decisive for their psychomotor development, what kind of monster would worry about money? What if my child is the only one who is not going and that delays their development? And so on until the little ones’ schedules burst. “The risk is excess, of pressure for families and of carrying out structured activities all the time. The social weight on what educating a child should include is increasingly felt. We are cannon fodder for this capitalist discourse. Current parenting is over-demanding and that sometimes blocks the ability of parents to think about how they would do it,” argues Leire Iriarte, psychologist and member of Sepypna (Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of Children and Adolescents). “We are very focused on the logic ‘my child is going to know everything, and right away’. There is a bit of consumerism, posturing and our own ego, telling ourselves ‘how well we are doing’, reflects Irene Hernández.
To dispel any anguish, Cristina Cordero Castro, Coordinator of the Neurodevelopment Working Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Neurology, points out: “There is no scientific evidence that allows us to take a position on this issue. At a neurological level, there is no evidence that there may be any repercussions from it.” It is, therefore, above all about pleasure, delight, personal enrichment. Although also education: many educators tend to highlight the importance of early access and the contagion effect on culture. The child who sees it at home will read more. And so with the other arts. With the advantages it also offers in academic results.
“Contact with culture is extremely beneficial, but it goes beyond signing up for workshops or exhibitions. Creativity can also be developed with a piece of cardboard and a stick. Or by reading. Or by getting bored: we are seeing less and less ability in children to entertain themselves without screens or a regulated activity,” Iriarte says. And she continues: “Sophisticated plans are not always necessary. Children need free movement, and there is that in protected spaces where they can play in the sand or go down a slide. And even more so in the 0-3 age group, where what they lack is the connection, as science has corroborated millions of times. Instead of looking for alternatives for children, we may have to fight to spend more time with them.”
Although, among so many reflections and debates, the same old boss often ends up being in charge: money. “There are studies that find a relationship between exposure to artistic activities and cognitive development, social cohesion, or quality of life. But it has a double interpretation: people who can access them tend to be from the upper-middle classes and have more protective factors. It is a bit misleading to read it as ‘the more cultural activities, the greater the educational success’,” Iriarte stresses. Just like the geographic variable, the socioeconomic one also marks the way. Sometimes, the offer exists on the billboard, but not among the options that the bank account gives. “The activities have to be inclusive, local and with affordable prices, or even subsidized, especially for families at risk of poverty or social exclusion. We have to act at all levels, especially from regional and local governments, which have the powers. It is not enough that there are two or three musicals for children on Madrid’s Gran Via at prices that are unaffordable for a working family,” adds the Secretary of State for Youth and Childhood.
More than one family could use the genie from the musical lamp. Aladdin. But Irene Hernández knows how to satisfy her daughter’s wishes. She keeps an eye on the promotions: “Even though it’s not as advertised, a magic theatre reserved by (the platform) Atrápalo is sometimes more affordable and worthwhile than the Sweet Space Museum, which we also went to.” And, in addition, she uses variety. Crafts. A picnic. If the wallet doesn’t always allow her to go to the cinema, perhaps the cinema can come to her home: “In the end it’s about wanting to dedicate time to them. We move the sofas, prepare the popcorn…” It won’t be the same, of course. But they are together. And in her living room, at least, the tickets never sell out.