Youngsters and Geezers

“Wow, this reading is boring as hell!” is one phrase you may hear floating around a college campus. This phrase is one that you may not be able to blame the reader for. Hell yeah, some reading are boring, and this may be just because the reader is not a particular audience. Do you ever read something and think “My grandpa would really dig this!” or other phrases like that? This is probably because the material you are reading was aimed towards an older audience. Many writings are geared towards a neutral age group, not only the elderly, even if the writing is very “lame” or “boring”. I will take one of these neutral pieces entitled Joan Littlewood and the De-Mystification of Acting by Roger Grainger and explain how I can adapt it to make it appeal better to a younger audience and then to an older audience.

            First, I think a good way to appeal to many youngsters would be to turn the Grainger article into a rap song. Not only would the article be extremely shortened and simplified but it would also be catchy. This rap song wouldn’t have to include the classic curse words or other foul imageries of many rap songs, but would just summarize the main ideas of the article in a rhyming form. This would be a very easy way for a younger audience to absorb the information of the article. They could download the song, put it on their iPod, and listen to it while on the go. If the song was catchy also, then they would very easily learn some more information on theatre and method acting. People could be walking around rhyming the lyrics and humming the tune of Roger Grainger’s article. It could be floating all around social media and be considered the hot new “fire” in the rap game. In all seriousness though, a simple rhyme scheme and summarization of the themes in the article would very much appeal to a younger audience. A quick and fast learning method like a song very much appeals to the busy lives of a younger audience.

            When I picture an average morning for my grandparents, I always visualize them sipping a cup of coffee, lounging around and reading the newspaper, at 6 a.m. My point is, newspapers appeal greatly to an older audience. It is something they grew up with and are used to. Younger people feel that this old “reading” thing takes way too much time and prefer quick ways to learn. If the Grainger article were to be converted into a newspaper article it would be bold and brief. Most newspaper articles are not very long and usually have a title that reels the audience in. a few pictures could also make the reading experience a bit better, because who doesn’t love a good visual? The article would be very factual with some minor opinions scattered throughout. An interview between the author Roger Grainger and his subject Joan Littlewood would also spice up the article. An older audience would love to sit down with this newspaper article on their Sunday morning and learn some more about Grainger and his training. The newspaper article genre would be a great way to appeal to an older audience.

            The bottom line is that most people like getting to the facts and simplifying things. A younger audience would better identify with a catchy rap song that rings in their ears, while an older audience would enjoy a factual newspaper article. The ease of picking up the newspaper on the front porch or downloading the song online greatly appeals to both audiences. Most people of an older audience do not want to fiddle around on the computer, just the same as a younger audience doesn’t want to sit and read a newspaper. Converting the scholarly Joan Littlewood and the De-Mystification of Acting by Roger Grainger into the two genres of a rap song and a newspaper article would greatly spread out the piece’s audience. Many more people would be willing to learn about this topic if it were simply presented to them in a genre they enjoy.