Theatre for Children: A Guide to Writing, Adapting, Directing, and Acting [Paperback]

David Wood (Author), Janet Grant (Author)

Book Description

David Wood has been called by the London Times “the national children’s dramatist.” Presenting theatre for children as a separate art form, Mr. Wood here draws upon his experience as a magician, actor, director, producer, composer, and playwright, and analyzes the skills involved in entertaining and involving audiences of children everywhere. He reveals his special techniques for catching and holding a child’s attention, provides a practical handbook illustrated with excerpts from his plays, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into them. He also examines the business side of children’s theatre, showing exactly how a good synopsis will help to sell an idea. “The challenge,” he writes, “is to give a unique theatrical experience to an audience, many of whom will be first-time theatergoers, to involve them emotionally, to sustain their interest in a story, to inspire and excite them using theatricality, to make them laugh, to make them think, to move them, to entertain and educate them by triggering their imaginations.” This comprehensive guide written with Janet Grant is essential reading for professionals and amateurs alike and for anyone wishing to be involved in the theatre for children.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Wood's great quality as a playwright is his confidence in his audience's ability to make giant imaginative leaps, coupled with a refusal to shortchange them artistically. (Financial Times )

A marvelous contribution to the world of Youth Theater...A must. (Robyn Flatt )

An important resource...basic, highly readable, and extremely practical. (Stage Of The Art )

The national children's dramatist. (London Times )

For over thirty years David has had the ability to captivate children's minds.... He has often been called the National Playwright for Children and he deserves it. (Sir Cameron Mackintosh )

About the Author

David Wood has been writing, adapting, directing, and acting in plays for children for more than twenty-five years. His best-known work has enjoyed international success and has entered the repertory of amateur companies and school dramatic societies. “Wood’s great quality as a playwright is his confidence in his audience’s ability to make giant imaginative leaps, coupled with a refusal to shortchange them artistically.”—Financial Times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (February 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566632331
• ISBN-13: 978-1566632331
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Theatre for Children, April 25, 2000

By 

Marta A Vogel (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Theatre for Children: A Guide to Writing, Adapting, Directing, and Acting (Paperback)

Excellent book! Gives real specifics about playwriting for children, i.e., must have lots of action, lots of "suddenlies", clearly defined characters, etc. Also, how to incorporate audience participation. I was so inspired by Wood's book that I ordered his musicals from Samuel French and directed "Hijack Over Hygenia" for our elementary school production. He is far and away better than most of the stuff you find for children's productions. Since he has experience in writing, directing and acting these plays and musicals (he's written 40!), he brings tons of examples into his book. He's good, he's funny, and children respond to his material. Good section on writing a play snopysis before you write any dialogue. Here's a little dialogue: Rupert: Hello, Squirrel. How are you? Squirrel: Fed up. Rupert: Fed up? Squirrel: Me nose is froze, me teeth are chatter-chattering, me paws are freezing and I keep sneezing. Atishoo! Rupert: (handing her a hanky) Use my hanky. Squirrel: A hanky! Thankee! (She plows loudly into the hanky held by Rupert).

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If you're a fan of David Wood buy it, if not..., January 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Theatre for Children: A Guide to Writing, Adapting, Directing, and Acting (Hardcover)

Who is David Wood? "National Children's Dramatist" or not, I'd never heard of him. But I decided to give "Theatre for Children" a shot based on its subtitle (A Guide to Writing, Directing, and Acting) and positive reader reviews. I was looking for a book that would give me basic tips on getting started and avoiding the pitfalls of writing stage plays for children. There is that sort of information buried in "Theatre for Children", but unfortunately the reader has to wade through such a relentlessly pounding sea of personal anecdotes and name dropping (again, mostly of Mr. Wood's own works and of other people I'd never heard of) that one's ability to salvage such practical information is called into question. This is not a beginner's guide to children's theater, but rather a professional memoir thinly disguised as a "how to" book. The writing style is dense and stuffy -- not "highly readable" as claimed in the cover blurb.

If this book wasn't so darned expensive, I'd be tempted to let it slide. ...(!) I felt I had to give fair warning.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars egotistical, March 12, 2006

By 

Robertson Thomas (Hapcheon, Gyeongnam, South Korea) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Theatre for Children: A Guide to Writing, Adapting, Directing, and Acting (Paperback)

Walter Piston is a composer, but in his music theory textbook, he can bring in samples from the work of other composers. Why, then, can't David Wood bring in samples from the work of other playwrights?

Incidentally, don't buy this book if you are interested in theatre for children as actors. This book is about theatre for children as spectators.