Childrens Theatre (lesson 1) - Creating characters and a world

In this lesson we discussed as a group what it meant when a piece of theatre is classed as 'Children's theatre'. What aspects were different and what factors were engaged or changed.

Here is what we decided 'Children's Theatre' entailed:

• Comedy - This is usually portrayed through 'over the top' acting and emphasising little moments such as an agreement or disagreement and making facial expressions more visible.
• Five senses - Touch, taste, see, hear and smell. By engaging with these senses it makes the performance multi-sensorial and immerses the child completely in the performance.
• Morals - Usually the aim of a piece of theatre is how to overcome a particular problem or issue. For children's theatre this is usually to do with acceptance and/or discrimination in a lighter tone to which they understand. This is important as it teaches them important lessons but in a fun, active environment.
• Simpler Language - Language used needs be simpler and easy to understand for all ages. This is because they are still learning and know basic forms of language. As well as using simpler language, actors tend to talk slower and clearer in order for the child to understand.
• Audience Participation - Involving the child in different ways such as: breaking the fourth wall encourages children to engage with the performance and also makes it more interesting for them. It also helps to immerse the child in the performance and take them into another world where they can relax and have fun.
• Enthusiasm/positivity -  Actors need be enthusiastic and positive when performing to children in order to encourage them to participate with the performance. This can also help some members of the audience relax and build confidence. Having a positive atmosphere reflects on the child's mood and therefore would make it more enjoyable for them.
• Elaborate staging - Such as oversized props or sets. This helps to create a world in which the child can get lost in the story.
• Bright colours and colourful lighting - This intrigues the child and adds to their attention span if there is lots to look at. Bright colours usually creates positive emotions and a positive atmosphere.
• Multi-media - this is the use of music, projections, films and pictures in order to help tell the story. By using more than one form of media it makes it more visually and aurally engaging.

After this we then created another world. Specifically an Island. We started off with the basic things you would need in order to live and then we added more imaginative possibly surreal structures.

Each of then created an individual character and talked about where they live, where they went and who they associated with.

My Character:

Name: Alix Caser

Age: 19

Occupation: Traveller

Where do they live: They aren't homeless but they prefer to camp out every night in a new location in order to understand the Island and also to meet new people along the way.

Where do they work: They spend some of their free days helping out at Wonder World as they are such a sociable person that they can talk to anyone. They like to walk about and find new places. They like to sit by 'Glitter River' and sketch scenic pictures. They associate with Flutter and Holly Glitz and get along well with them. Alix has a very positive approach to situations and tries to keep a positive atmosphere wherever they may be and with whoever they are with. They don't have many friends but it doesn't bother them too much.

Here is a picture with all the residence on: