Children's Interpretations of Computer-Animated Dinosaurs in Live Theatre: 'Dinosaurus'.

To explore media theories of perceived reality regarding factuality, social, and physical realism, and "videocy" (or theatrical spectacle), 32 children in first, third, and fifth grades were individually interviewed after attending a production of "Dinosaurus" which included computer-animated dinosaurs. Contrary to beliefs that special effects may divert attentions outside fictive content, young spectators' minds were not dominated by "videocy" as they merged the emotional expressions of live dinosaur actors with computerized dinosaur images. Watching the mimicry between this doubled set of dinosaur characters enabled them to differentiate dinosaur types by focusing on the screen as well as the actors' dialogue. However, interpretations of the play's resolution varied depending on visual and verbal memories of the protagonist's decisive action, which occurred offstage. Whether "real life" occurs with living actors or as a computerized event makes little difference to young spectators conditioned by the physical realism of electronic media. The interview schedule is appended. (Contains 21 references.) (Author/MES)