Introduction To Theatre For Children

Today was our introductory lesson to 'Theatre For Children', in which we were allocated to our groups which we will work with, for this project. Together, we will form a 'Company', to which we will create ground rules, which each of us are expected to abide by for a healthy working relationship.

As a group, we had to produce ideas about what we thought 'Theatre For Children' actually was. We thought that is was the type of theatre that appeals to children of a particular age range. I mentioned that it should involve the children, as otherwise they may become distracted and bored (Audience Interaction). I said that the piece of theatre should have a moral- however we were later told that it does not have to be educational in any way or form. I also said that the vocabulary should be basic, so that the children can fully grasp what is happening in the play and so that they are not thrown by words that they don't yet understand. On the other hand , children can be very intellectual and can handle complicated stories (to an extent), but clarity is the key when it comes to working with more complicated content. The Children should not, at any point, be patronised by The Actors, as they can often sense that they are being talked down to.

As a group we mentioned that one of our ideas was that 'Theatre For Children' must have a clear structure- a beginning, a middle and an end. We were then told that this is not necessary, as children can still understand what is happening if cross-cutting is used. Cross-cutting is when the scenes or sequence of a drama piece are re-ordered. It is especially used when the drama starts and carries on in a linear (a series of events in real-time) manner and becomes predictable. It includes the use of flash-backs (to look back at important events that happened in the past) and flash-forwards (in order to move the drama further forward in time). This can be used to enhance the tension and narrative of the drama piece.

Other groups also put some of their points forward. Some mentioned that, in 'Theatre For Children', careful consideration must be taken into account as to, what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. Foul language and the reinforcement of negative stereotypes are examples of inappropriate things to use. It is also interesting to note that one of the groups pointed out that, there are not many topics that we can touch upon, as long as we go about it in an appropriate way. 'Theatre For Children' can be based around very difficult current issues- from relationships to bullying. It can be about conserving the environment or whatever other topics we feel strongly about.