The director in children's theatre has the major responsibility for communicating with the audience. The director must mediate between the art of children's theatre and the children as audience.

To be truly successful and effective the director of children's theatre should:

• Have a belief in children's theatre

• Have an understanding of the developmental process

• Process and insight into children's interests, abilities, vocabulary, attention span and humour.

• Must be able to accept the children's cruelty and companion.

• Must read children's books and watch children's programs

• Must watch children at play in order to learn how imaginations flow

• Must ultimately respect the child

Guidelines for Directing Children's Theatre

Emotional Truth

• Must be staged in a manner which is accessible and logical for children and which is not condescending

• To allow emotional diversity in the play that invites children to consider the dimensions of humankind

• Affective unity

Visualisation

• Effective and engaging visual effects

• Everything that needs to be understood by the audience should be visual and clear - the use of 'visual language'- translating knowledge into the visual through language, action and relationships.

Variety

• Providing technical ways to change the focus of attention in a rapid pattern of alternating attractions

• Provide a synthesis of activities and theatrical style

Multi-age Considerations

• The appeal 'across the board' for adults and children of varying ages

• Provide a script which offers synthesis between all elements

Casting and Identification

• Addressing the children's expectations and images of good and evil

• The question of stereotyping or offering challenge to the children about their expectations

Audience participation

• The director needs to remember that the theatre production for children is in fact a dialogue with them

• Understand the difference between 'noise' and 'participation'

• Action on stage must appear geniune to the children or they will reject what they see on stage

• Actors should be alerted to regaining audience attention by a contrast of 'business', a change in line delivery, action, tempo, a new character, tricks, song etc..

Theatrical 'magic'

• A director should be careful not to overdo the effects and spectacle of the children's theatre production

• Remember, the children's imagination needs to be stimulated - giving them too much will preclude thought and creativity on their behalf

• Often children prefer to supply the environment of the play with their own imagination.

REFERENCE: Goldburg, M. (1974). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.