In my various roles as a performer, director and instructor, I have been lucky enough to work with many bright young people. Teaching and performing with them has been an incredibly valuable experience, and I’ve found that I often learn just as much from them as from my elders. One revelation I have had in my experiences with young actors and young audience members is a simple one, but one that is often forgotten: Children are little people. They have thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences just like adults, and in many cases, in more vivid tones than those of our older brains. Because of this revelation, I’ve learned that in my acting I must never condescend to young people.
There are, of course, some adjustments to be made when working on a children’s theatre piece. Major themes in the piece are often portrayed in the script in big, broad strokes that I must then interpret with big, broad physical and vocal choices. I must adjust the pace so that younger ears can follow the plot and development of the piece, and I must pay special attention to the clarity of my diction and intent. Those things aside, I can’t say that I make any specific, outstanding choices when playing to children. Instead, I try and focus on being as clear in my intention and as passionate in my delivery as possible in the hope that my love for the art of theatre will be apparent, and that that passion may affect even one young mind and heart.
