Haircuts by Children

Haircuts by Children is exactly what it says on the tin: a group of children are given a crash course in hairdressing and run a salon where they offer free haircuts to members of the public. Haircuts By Children invites you to take part in an event that will test your courage and faith in the future. Let them cut your fears away as they prove themselves creative leaders, capable and responsible citizens and dedicated coiffures.

Press

The show has commandeered barber shops on three continents, mesmerizing audiences and media wherever it goes. The deeper thrill is in the carnivalesque reversal of power, and the rare, almost taboo encounter between a child and a grown-up who isn’t their teacher or relative.

Carl Wilson, Toronto Life (2008)

Haircuts by Children is something “radical” and goes to the heart of assumptions we hold about performance and about art. The performance takes adults back to their own memories of when they were children, when they were respected, and when they weren’t.

Norman Armour, CBC (2008)

“What’s the best that can happen?” Well, besides a good (free!) haircut, the performance will have provided a space where children and adults can share a creative experience. To boot, it’s a chance for a child to be treated as a competent, trusted individual—perhaps for the first time.

Colin Way, Calgary Herald (2016)

It’s wonderfully liberating to let the kids have the power and see what comes out of it. With an element of risk, and with a less predictable social encounter, we can be jolted out of our habits. Both children and adults can gain some new perspectives, on each other and on our society.

Henriette Stensen, Periskop (2024)