This paper examines the complex questions that arise around the appearance of children in contemporary performance. Drawing on performances by Nottingham-based theatre company Zoo Indigo and by Tim Etchells and the Flemish theatre company Victoria, I consider the extent to which Hannah Arendt's theorization of natality as ‘the new beginning inherent in birth’ that gives rise to the political potential to ‘begin something anew’ can help us to understand the ethico-political dimensions of children's appearance as natal, biological and relational beings in contemporary performance. In particular, I draw on feminist interpretations of Arendt's work to articulate the significance of the embodied aspects and ethical quality of children's relation to adult spectators and performers. I argue that these performances prompt a rethinking of the child's potential to generate political intervention, which moves beyond Arendt's gendered account of political agency in a public sphere from which children are excluded.

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舞台上的初学者：当代表演中的阿伦特、出生和儿童的出现

本文探讨了当代表演中围绕儿童外貌出现的复杂问题。借鉴诺丁汉剧院公司 Zoo Indigo 和 Tim Etchells 以及佛兰芒剧院公司 Victoria 的表演，我认为汉娜·阿伦特的出生理论在多大程度上是“出生固有的新开始”，从而产生了政治潜力“重新开始”可以帮助我们理解儿童在当代表演中作为天生的、生物的和关系的存在的伦理政治维度。特别是，我利用对阿伦特作品的女权主义解释来阐明儿童与成年观众和表演者关系的具体方面和道德品质的重要性。