Common themes for children’s theatre

Old stories re-worked
Children like seeing character, story ideas and whole stories which are familiar to them, being performed in a new way. This might be reworking’s such as modernization, a ‘part 2’ or a twist, a totally new story with some old elements. Remember that kids will probably know the original story very well. Be sure to do your homework!
Example: Cinderella

Myths and legends
From many cultures, we have very fascinating stores in the form of myths and legends. These often have a very grand characters and ideas, and make connections to parts of our world- human, natural and how these interact. Whether the children already know the myth/legend or are learning it for the 1st time in the play, these can be a great source for characters and ideas.
Example: Greek mythology, rainbow serpent.

Fantasy within reality
Children are intrigued with fantasy and otherwise impossible happenings, however they like it to happen from a point of reality. So this means starting with something normal, realistic and probable and then having something extraordinary, unrealistic and impossible occur.
Example: Alice in wonderland

The Quest
The idea of a quest is that a character (or group of characters) has a particular task to complete and the story is the journey of doing this. This is ideal for kids and brings in lots of ability to work in other features ed: justice , themes/ morals about dedication and hard work, characters who help and hinder with out ability to learn from this part of the journey.

Fairy Tales
Fairy tales are often the first stories that children are introduced to and are stories that they do not grow out of, or tired of.
Example: snow white, sleeping beauty, red riding hood

Toys and inanimate objects
Kids love the idea of toys and other inanimate objects coming to life. If it is something they imagine happening with their own possessions and thus something they enjoy the idea. In terms of building characters, the term anthropomorphic is used when human qualities are assigned to such characters.
Example: Toy story, Nemo, Cars, Whinne the pooh

Real Life
whilst stories from our imaginations are a great source for plays, real life can be too. True events or people can be the base, either told very truthfully or loosely followed in an "inspired by" manner.
Example: Winne the pooh, So much to tell you, Hitlers daughter

Contemporary Issues
The idea in this category is to take a theme that is relevant for this age group and explore it through the characters, relationships and story line. Don't think that, just because it is "issues based, it has to be so serious, boring or uncreative.
Example: Matilda, Bridge to Terabithia, Mean girls,

Costume

I am wearing black leggins and a black tee shirtI am teasing my hair and having heavy dark eye makeup and red lips to make me more scary.

I will look like this

lighting

Today Miss burley showed us the lights, they are really good and will work well with our performance.

At first we have a single spotlight on shaina in the bed

then we have a sort of pinkish happy colours on amys scene

then we have a more of a whacky silly colours and shapes for brontes part

and then for mine we have a red background from the stage and green fluro lights which gives off a scary impression. then when the curtian is revealed and drawn back the red background is shown and its almost a reddy orangey colour.

When my scene changes into the chase and final scene the green lights get turned off and there are two red lights which brings out the red background better which makes it more intense. Then after we transform shaina there is a single spot light as we all say our peice and then shaina sais her quote.

im excited its tomorrow

The script

Enter Music:

Children Lullaby. Shaina falls asleep to the lullaby.

Edit howl

Pause between ariana entering and shaina entering.

Script

Amy scene

A: over here

S: who are you?

A: come over here, were whoever you want us to be

S: what do you mean?

A: why are you confused, this is your dream?

S: what do you mean this is my dream, I’m conscious I can’t be in a dream

A: No trust me this is your dream.

S: well how do I get out of here

A: However you came in

S: so wait the last I remember I was reading….. oh wait the DOOR

A: THE…… DOOR!!!

S: I remember it was this way

A: STOP

B: you may not go back this way

A: you take her

S: but where

B: Follow me

A: you must go through all the stages, be safe, there are things out there that you don’t know.

Bronte Scene

S: Excuse me!

Bronte doesn’t answer.

B: Hello, is anyone there? Then Taps

Br: Does her bubble thing

S: which way do I go now?

Br: Go this way. But wait! You must be careful, this way is the deadliest of them all.

S: starts walking one way.

B: No not this way the other way.

Can you add some more im not that familiar with your scene sorry!

Ariana Scene

S: Hello anyone there

S: Arhhhhhh

S: Who are you?

A:hissssssssssssssss

S; hello anyone Here? She said it was the third stage

S;HELLLO

Ariana’s Scene

Shaina on floor

S: WHO ARE YOU?

A: WHOEEVER YOU WANT ME TO BE?

S: WHY DO THY ALL SAY THAT?

A; WHY DO ALL WHO SAY WHAT?

S: The others said the same thing

A: what others?

S: The ones I saw before you?

B: they are all the same aren’t they

S: no they were different...

A: we are all the same

Final Scene

Ar: *Scaring shaina*

S: Stop! Stop! Please stop

*runs to amy*

S: Please you’re the nice one, make them stop

A: Oh yes *slowly opens door* *slams shut* NEVER!

*everyone captures her*

Britt: We were all once like her

Bronte: All full of hope of getting out

Ariana: But we never got out.

Amy: Just like her, were trapped in here forever.

Blackout

Ideas

Another idea i had was that at the end of the play each of the evil, monster characters reveal that they were once dreamers too like (shaina) the dreamer and they all have been trapped in the dream and then shaina will also be trapped in the dream with them.

for my character i had it in my head that i would be this sort of evil possessed character who is just completely psycho and just mentally deranged and shaina is just comepletely scared of me.

Also my idea was that the door is what leads into the dream and the only way out.

Ideas from lesson two

My ideas-

Our performance is going to mostly depend on the audiences co-operation, and what they do/ how they interpret our performance.

Have a set up of the haunted house

Kind of have a paranormal activity on the screen when they come in.

The audience is trapped in a maze of her dream.

The third stage is where the clown takes the girl and the audience to hell or the main place where the nightmare is but they trick the audience and tell them they are helping them out of it. And then that’s where all the bad things and evil characters are who conform the main girl into one of them.

Teams ideas-

When the audience comes in they see a girl sleeping, and then different characters (clowns, monsters) take her away. Then she comes back to the audience and is trying to take them back because the audience is now in her dream. The journey is separated into 3 different stages, first the girl in the bed, second stage, clowns, The third stage (my idea) is where the clown takes the girl and the audience to hell or the main place where the nightmare is but they trick the audience and tell them they are helping them out of it. And then that’s where all the bad things and evil characters are who conform the main girl into one of them. Clowns will appear nice at first but when they have the audience and the girl in their trap they turn back into their real selves that are evil characters who are scary.

The dream is a maze and the main point of the play is the doors that take them to different worlds and the only way to get out of the nightmare is by exiting through the door at the end of the maze.

Concept: the concept of our performance is that a nightmare can take over your mind.

Ideas from lesson one

My ideas:
-the audience comes in and lies down seeing an empty room closes their eyes and then we put on music and set up while they are lying down.
-when the audience opens their eyes they see a completely different room and think they are in a dream
-to use the stimulus text " you may say that I'm a dreamer but I'm not the only one, I hope someday that you will join us, and the world will live as one" and make it as if that we are the the audiences dream hoping that they join us with the dream.


Group ideas:
that we are the audiences dream (MAIN POINT OF TODAY)

First impression on the stimulus

The stimulus is a big A3 sheet of paper (double sided) and has images and text (mostly song lyrics) covering both sides of the paper.
My first impression of the stimulus is that this assessment will be very hard.
I didn't understand any of the images, and I was confused why there were song lyrics about dreaming.
After my group:
Shiana, Amy mc, Bronte, Brittany and I discussed our ideas we all understood the stimulus a lot better.