Swearing WILL NOT be tolerated in any session or rehearsal whatsoever!

1. SCRAPE S Swearing WILL NOT be tolerated in any session or rehearsal whatsoever! C Creativity is essential to the success of this Unit R Respect for each other and for tutor A You will display fitting attitude to the environment which you are in P Professionalism is ESSENTIAL if you want to develop and improve E ENJOYMENT – for you, me and others

2. The Ten Commandments • Children enjoy being active participants rather than passive spectators • Children, more than adults, generate a sense of electricity in the Theatre • Children can become over excited • Children willingly enter into the spirit of entertainment • Children can be uncompromisingly direct • Children let you know when they are bored • Children respond to direct audience participation • Not all Children respond in the same way • Children don’t always choose to come • The composition of an audience for a Children’s play is so variable

3. Children like being frightened (within limits) Children are healthy subversive Children respond eagerly to justice Children will respond differently and unpredictably Common characteristic’s of a child’s audience Children are logical Children DON’T like being patronised Children respond to action Children make noise during a performance Children LOVE stories Children DON’T like lovey-dovey stuff Children LOVE animals and toys

4. Alfie Kate

5. Performance Techniques • No selfish performers • Larger than life characters • Puppetry • FIT • Clarity • Circus Skills • Versatile • Projection • Acrobatics • Willing to work • Respect • Diction • Versatility • Dance • Accents • Song • Inhibitions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLCUdOSTNzk GET UP!

6. NARRATOR • Guides the story • Used to instil thought • Neutral Character • HOW? • Reading from a chair • Physical being • A character • Voice Over

7. Devising Techniques • Majority of Children’s Theatre is adapted from a book or structure • Children’s books have an episodic structure • You are not prohibited from including new characters or inventing dialogue • Spirit of the book and the basic story must remain the same

8. Four steps towards your synopsis 1. Finding the story and assessing its suitability 2. Gutting the book a) Précis of the story b) Notes 3. Problem Solving 4. Writing a synopsis

9. Task You will be placed into four groups Around the room are four pieces of flip chart paper You will move around the room in your groups adding to each piece of paper as many definitions/examples that you can within a limited time frame Each group will then talk the rest of the class through the flip chart paper where they are stood

10. 2a) Précis • Take the story to pieces – allows you to re-arrange the action • Separate moments/units of the story • What happens in each unit?

11. 2b) Notes • List the characters, how many? Are they important? Will you need to double-cast? Can they be cut? • Vital dialogue which needs to be included • Relationships in the book • Essential locations – could you transfer a scene to an already existing location? • Keep action flowing by minimising scene changes and mini scenes • Key Moments

12. 3. Problem Solving NEED TO KNOW: • Cast Numbers • Type of theatre space • Budget for set/costumes • Double casting? • Staging i.e. set, props are they a necessity?

13. 4. Writing a Synopsis A step by step account of the story (you cannot script until this is complete)