Basic Concepts in Theatre for Kids

As parents, we want to expose our children to activities that will entertain, educate, and inspire them. The theatre is a magic world where emotional intellect in humans is studied and stories are created. If you happen to be among such parents who want your children to get an inkling into this world of magic, then read on. 

What is Theatre?

Theatre, very simply, is an interactive, live performance by actors portraying an experience of actual or imaginary events before an audience. This is achieved in a particular space usually most often on a stage. The theatre is a composite of speech, gesture, music, dance, and visual arts in live operation.

You will very often see the words "theatre" and "theater" floating around and be left wondering why two different spellings. Rather simply, both these spellings refer to one and the same idea; it is just the use that changes in relation to regions. The former is used in British English, and the latter belongs to American English. Though the spelling variants indicate different things, they actually represent a single meaning—an establishment for live performance.

Why it is Important for Kids to Visit a Theatre

It would benefit more if children were given the chance to associate with the theatre. This would build on their creativeness, try out communication skills, and gain confidence. Also, a child can understand complex emotions, which will make him or her more emphatic and socially conscious.

Types of Theatre Stages

Some of the more interesting aspects of introducing a child to the theatre are the different kinds of theatres. Each one of the forms of theatres may offer a particular kind of view for the audience and specific problems for the actor and the director.

Proscenium Stage: This is the most typical kind of stage; it has quite a large arch that frames the stage, setting it far away from the audience. The audience, seated squarely in front of the stage, creates a very clear "fourth wall."

Thrust Stage: On a thrust stage, the action does extend into the audience. Members sit on three sides. Hence, the action comes closer to the audience, giving off the feel of a more personal experience.

Arena Theatre (Theatre-in-the-Round): The audience is seated all around the four walls of the stage, so it is far more immersive; however, careful choreography and blocking have to be done so that everyone here in the audience gets a good view.

Black Box Theatre: Black box theatres are simple, unadorned spaces from which any kind of arrangement can be made. The flexibility of black box theatres allows creative, experimental performances and stagings.

Found Space: Theatrical performances take place in unconventional spaces like warehouses, parks, or even streets adapted into a theatre for performances. Found space opens up a whole new world of potential in terms of innovative storytelling.

Different Types of Theatres

 The theatres themselves are generally of different types to accommodate the diversified styles and numbers of audiences that come to see the performances.

Opera house: This concept is applied to a theatre designed and built especially for presenting operas. It has elaborate stage machinery alongside really great acoustics.

Playhouse: These houses are very flexible and could afford to stage a lot of kinds of plays—from dramas to comedies to musicals.

Amphitheater: Open-air theatres, normally in a round or elliptical design. There is a preference for a natural and abundant environment for theatrics.

Studio Theatre : These are much smaller and more intimate theatres, mainly for experimental and avant-garde plays.

History of Theatre

Theatre has a very rich history, dating back to the times of old. Understanding the history behind theatre can go on and continue to appeal to kids' appreciation of art more and more.

Ancient Greece: Western theater was born in Ancient Greece—an inter­grated kernel of their religious festivals. The Greeks devel­oped forms like tragedy and comedy and invented the chorus.

Roman Theatre: Much was borrowed by the Romans from the Greek theatre but with their own most striking touches added, such as more advanced designs and stage machinery.

Medieval Theatre: Domination of religious orientations arose during this period when mystery plays staged bib­lical stories.

Renaissance Theatre: This era gave birth to professional actors and playwrights. The most famous was William Shakespeare.

Contemporary Theatre: The 19th and the 20th centuries made very remarkable changes, as realism, naturalism, and new technologies in lighting and scenery.

Key Elements of Theater

In order to grasp and appreciate theater strongly, what comprises the basic elements of the same should first be understood, namely:

Script: The Script is the written text of the play that comprises dialogue and stage directions.

Director: A director is in charge of the artistic vision through the production, working with actors, and in collaboration with the designers.

Actors: Actors manifest those character profiles enacting in performance.

Set Design: The set is a three-dimensional physical environment where the action of the play goes on.

Lighting:  Lighting design can create mood and atmosphere for the production, helps decide on important moments in the action, and directs the audience's focus toward the important stage images.

Costumes: Costumes help to provide a fuller outline of the character and assist in marking the period and locale of action.

Sound: Non-verbal sound effects and music provide the aural quality for the performance.

Types of Lighting in the Theatre

Of the many ways to set up tone and/or mood for any kind of theatre, lighting is one of the most important. There are a number of kinds of lighting used in order to suggest a certain effect. For example:

Spotlights: Very intense beams of light pinpointed to shine in a specific area of the stage or on an actor.

Floodlights: The lights shine at a very high pitch directly over a wide area in the middle of the stage.

Backlight: The lights come from the back of the actors or the object in use to enable silhouetting and hence giving a depth to the picture.

Gobo Light: Light projection aids in the charges by metal patterns or templates placed in front of the source of light to throw a pattern or shape on the stage.

LED Lights: They are versatile and save a lot of energy. They change their color and light intensity super fast giving you dynamic lighting.

Here are some rare and unique points about the basic concepts in theatre for children:

The fourth wall: literally means the imaginary wall between performers and audience. Teaching this concept of the fourth wall to children acts as a lot of help to draw a line between reality and the play world. Breaking the fourth wall sometimes is a very beautiful engagement technique with the audience directly.

Ensemble acting: This enables learning regarding the concept of teamwork. Any play includes big and small role players that all add up to a great, robust performance in itself. Ensemble acting will teach the children about team work—every single member of either cast or crew might turn out to be critical in some way or the other.

Improvisation Skills: Introduce elements of improvisation that most get children on their feet and make them think; fan creativity. These improvisation games inculcate confidence and quick thinking, making one worthy of a stage and worthwhile in life too.

Instructions: Allow the children to familiarize themselves with some of the major directions on stage, such as upstage, downstage, left, and right. In this manner, they shall be able to move freely about the stage and know where to be most of the time during a rehearsal or performance.

Role of the Director: Explain how the director shapes the play. He is like a captain of the ship who can only steer towards guiding the actors to give their creative verdict based on his blowing life into it. This way, children would realize that making theatre is collaborative.

Character building: Get them inside the character—what motivates, what fears, etc. Sometimes, actually making a backstory of a character really makes the performance enriching.

Other added areas of the theatre include genres: comedy, tragedy, musical theatre, farce. Concepts of theatre appreciation, styles of performing are opened to them.

Setting and costume design: Describe how costumes and sets create worlds for plays. They will learn how many features are interrelated in their role of the larger development of the story and enhancing audience experience in performance. If not, they might even get as creative as trying to be setting and costume designers on their own.

Theatre Etiquette: Theatres can teach so much about being an actor and part of the auditorium. Not having to mention that it is respect toward space, no noise backstage, and appreciation of performances. Good etiquette begets much-appreciated experiences from all sides.

History of Theatre: Give them some nice tidbits on the history of theatre, for instance, how Greek theatre came into being, how Shakespearean dramas worked their way up, or even modern musical development. It is through this rich story of theatre that children shall reach an awakening to inspire deeper appreciation of the arts.

How to Get Your Kids Into Theatre

If you are itching to get your kids into theater, here are a number of ways to do it :

School Plays: Most schools have a theatre program or drama clubs that allow students to participate in the organization of plays and musicals.

Community Theatre: Multiple community theatres accept young actors, and it is a really nice place to start for someone who has developed an interest in acting.

Theatre Classes: Enroll your kids in theater classes or workshops for skill enhancement and boosting confidence.

Performance Viewings: Take your kids to watch live theatre works; sometimes just watching a live show is really inspiring.

Home Productions: Encourage your kids to put on their home productions. They can make up scripts, build/create sets, and perform for family and friends.

Conclusions

Theatre develops children through creativity, confidence, and lets them understand human emotions and stories. Different varieties of theatre stages, understanding history, and getting involved in local theatre activities are some full-time rich experiences that children can have throughout their lifetime.

In every form, the theatre spells a world of possibilities. When your child stands in the same shoes as a novice star of the stage or pays due acknowledgment to someone who works behind the scene, such skills and experiences gained from the theatre will be invaluable. So, let's open the curtains together and step into the magical world of theatre with our children.

FAQs

What do you mean by children's theatre?

Children's theatre is all about staging involving, age-appropriate performances that will charm, educate, and inspire young audiences while using the tools of storytelling, music, and activities to involve them personally in the performance.

What are the basic concepts of theatre?

Basic concepts of theatre are presenting on a live platform using actors through acting, dialogues, body movements, and scene settings feelings in the audience by delivering a message.

What concepts do you explore through theatre?

Theatre concepts include the script, directing, acting, scenery, lighting, costumes, and sound. All of these combine to provide an audience with a unified, vivid theatrical experience.

What are the 4 basic forms of theatre?

The four basic forms of theatre are drama, comedy, tragedy, and musical. Each presents a story to the audience in a different way and entertains it in another.

What is beginners in theatre?

A beginning theatre student is an individual who is first exposed to the stage; he or she gradually acquires some basic performing, acting, stagecraft, and production skills learned in class, workshops, and other amateur performances. 

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