Theatre for Children

A Guide to Writing, Adapting, Directing, and Acting

By (author) David Wood, Janet Grant

Publication date:

15 May 1999

Length of book:

288 pages

Publisher

Ivan R. Dee

ISBN-13: 9781566632324

One of the world's leading children's dramatists provides a practical handbook of the skills involved in entertaining and involving audiences of children. A marvelous contribution to the world of Youth Theater...a must. —Robyn Flatt, Dallas Children's Theater. He has often been called the National Playwright for Children and he deserves it. —Cameron Mackintosh

Part 1 Acknowledgements x
Part 2 Foreword xii
Part 3 Introduction xiv
Part 4 PART 1, THEATRE FOR CHILDREN: A UNIQUE ART FORM 1
Chapter 5 What an audience! Why do children need their own theatre? The quest for quality. Pioneers and practitioners. Raising our standards.
Part 6 PART 2, THE NATURE OF THE BEASTS: WHAT CHILDREN EN MASSE RESPOND TO 13
Part 7 THE DYNAMICS OF A CHILDREN'S AUDIENCE 15
Chapter 8 How Children Differ. A Children's Audience—Common Characteristics.
Part 9 STORIES AND THEMES THAT CHILDREN LOVE: IDEAS THAT WORK ON THE STAGE 30
Chapter 10 Fantasy within Reality. Myths and Legends. Old Wine in New Bottles. Tales of the Anthropomorphic. The Quest. Toys and Inanimate Objects. Real Life. Contemporary Themes. Fairy Tales.
Part 11 SUDDENLIES AND OTHER INGREDIENTS OF GOOD THEATRE FOR CHILDREN 38
Chapter 12 Suddenlies. Humour. Characters. Life or Death Situations. Language. Silence. Audience Participation. Scale. Puppetry. Magic within the Plot. Colourful Look on Stage. Lighting. Sound. Music. Mime and Movement. Climaxes and Cliffhangers. Justice and Fairnes
Part 13 PART 3, WRITING ORIGINAL PLAYS 63
Part 14 THE CRAFT OF WRITING AN ORIGINAL PLAY 65
Chapter 15 Writing a Synopsis. Nine Steps towards a Synopsis. Steps towards a Synopsis for The Gingerbread Man. Synopsis for The Gingerbread Man. Subsequent Changes to the Synopsis. Steps towards a Synopsis for The See-Saw Tree. Synopsis for The
Part 16 PART 4, ADAPTATION 123
Part 17 FROM PAGE TO STAGE: ADAPTING A CHILDREN'S BOOK 125
Chapter 18 Writing a Synopsis. Four Steps towards a Synopsis. Steps towards a Synopsis for The BFG. Synopsis for The BFG. Subsequent Changes to the Synopsis.
Part 19 PART 5, DIRECTING AND THE PRODUCTION TEAM 153
Part 20 THE CHALLENGE 155
Part 21 Section 1: Pre-Production 155
Chapter 22 Sets and Costumes—Designer. Choreographer/Movement Person. Composer/Musical Supervisor. Sound Designer. Lighting Designer. Production Manager/Stage Management. Casting. Director's Homework.
Part 23 Section 2: Rehearsals 172
Chapter 24 Blocking and Focus. Pace. Respect for the Play and the Audience. The Script: Interpretation and Clarity. Sincerity. Characterization. Directing Suddenlies. Directing Climaxes. Positive Negative. Humour. Audience Participation. The Technical Rehearsal. The
Part 25 Section 3: The Opening Performance and Beyond 200
Chapter 26 Different Types of Audience. After the Opening Performance. Interpreting Audience Reaction.
Part 27 PART 6, ACTING IN CHILDREN'S THEATRE 219
Part 28 TWICE AS DIFFICULT, TWICE AS REWARDING 221
Chapter 29 Skills. Attitude. Cynicism. Actors' Pitfalls. Characterization. Audience Participation. The First Performance.
Part 30 PART 7, THE BUSINESS SIDE 237
Part 31 THE MARKET 239
Chapter 32 Sources of Information. Professional Children's Theatre Companies. Amateur Theatre companies. Acquiring the Rights to Adapt a Book in Copyright. Getting the Play Published.
Part 33 Afterword 249

Wood's great quality as a playwright is his confidence in his audience's ability to make giant imaginative leaps, coupled with a refusal to shortchange them artistically.