The Big Bad Misunderstood Wolf?

Last Lesson Liam, playing the character of the Big Bad Wolf,mentioned that he felt that the Wolf should not be all bad and so I would like to present this video to the group to try and encourage this idea further:

Adding a different story to the character of the Wolf, not necessarily this one, would add another dimension to our play and make it unique to the other stories that the children are likely to already have heard. 

Narration

The following is the narration by Momma Pig for the first scene of the Pigs getting ready. I like the fact that I have been able to include the techniques of repetition, alliteration and rhyming as I feel these work especially well in Children's theatre.

And so the little pigs got ready to begin their wild adventure,

They tied their shoe laces to the left,

They tied their shoe laces to the right,

They brushed their teeth to the left,

They brushed their teeth to the right,

And they fought,

And fought,

And pushed,

And shoved,

And dipped,

And dodged,

And tripped,

And slipped,

And weaved,

and wacked,

And ducked,

And dived,

for a place in the mirror to brush the hairs on their chinny chin chins.

Story Telling

For Children's Theatre we have been practising our 'Story telling' voices, this is more so important for me playing Momma Pig as she will be the main narrator. For this, each week we have been taking part in workshops, from them I think that that the most important thing about story telling is connecting with the audience; this will mean keeping the audience engaged, trying to make eye contact regularly to as many of the audience members as possible and using your voice especially creating different voices sometimes for characters and other times to create atmospheres, also returning to the voices to show the same character or same location / atmosphere. Similarly with all children's theatre, I think it is also important to remain extremely happy at all times, whilst still appropriate of course.

Character - Momma Pig

 

For our production of 'The Three Little Pigs' I am playing The Mother Pig, she is the typical Dame, camp and effeminate but at an instantly butch and lastly of course a man in drag, moreover she is friendly, caring however fairly fearful leading her to be only moderately protective of her children. I think it's fair to say that she would rather save her own bacon than throw her chops in dangers way to save her boys.

Momma Pig is also the leading narrator of the play meaning she will quite often break the fourth wall and interact with her audience, possibly having use her voice to create an atmosphere for imagination and 'magic' to take place. 

Pigs Portfolio

                

Choosing a Story

It is really important to make sure we use our questionnaire results effectively so that we can create something that our target audience will like. These are my too considerations;

The Gingerbread man

Imagination - If we used puppetry to create the Gingerbread man, this element would require imagination as well as that most of the characters are animals and so this too would require imagination.
Comedy - I see the elderly couple whom bake the Gingerbread man as comedic characters and it would be easy enough to give their characters jokes. I also think that food puns could be comedic however I'm not entirely sure if our target audience would understand puns. 
Songs - The phrase 'Run run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread man' can be, and has been many times before, turned into a song and could be used through out.
Adventure - The adventure would be one through the town, starting in the couple's cottage, then with the passing of the pig, cow, horse, (or whatever characters we decide on as different versions include different characters) and finally the fox in the river.
Magic - A lot of the magic will come from the scene were the Gingerbread man is brought to life with the elderly couple. I see a lot of potential for this.

The Three Little Pigs

Imagination - Similarly we will be playing animals, which we could use masks for, and so imagination will need to be used for the audience to believe in the characters.
Comedy - As our main characters are Pigs I'd like to make lots of jokes along the lines of Bacon, ham and pork which could be incorporated. Once again puns could also be used although the same problem still occurs.
Songs - Songs will be a little different for the pigs as I believe we will need to be more independently creative as there are less resources online for the pigs. Although we do still have the phrases 'Not by the hairs on my Chinny Chin Chin' and 'I'll Huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down' to work with.
Adventure - The Adventure with the pigs will be from moving out of one house, gathering their materials, and each pig travelling to the next's house. The character of the wolf could also add some adventure.
Magic - More of the magic with the pigs would be in building the houses, there are so many possibilities and ways that we could do this.

Questionnaire

Due to the fact that Children's theatre is very different, we have handed out a questionnaire to a focus group in order to find out what it is our target audience actually want in a performance. The results are as follows:

1.      Ages -

• 7-11

2.      What’s your favourite story? 

• Gruffalo      ////  
• Bear hunt //  
• Harry potter //
• Others included I love you so much and The Twits.

3.      Who’s your favourite character?  

• Goofy      /// 
• Olaf        /// 
• Belle       //  
• Others included Timone and Pumba, Red riding hood.

4.      What’s your favourite type of story? 

• Adventure
• Funny

5.      What do you think makes a good story?

• Funny bits
• An Adventure
• A Happy ending
• Songs

6.      What’s your favourite TV show / Film / Book ? 

• Frozen                  ////
• Harry potter  //
• Charlie and the chocolate factory      //
• Matilda              //

Collectively as a theatre company, we decided that these results, amongst other things, that within our piece, we should try to at-least incorporate these five elements; Imagination, Comedy - most of which may be slapstick -, Songs, Adventure - in which we hope to incorporate via audience interaction - and finally magic. 

Unicorn Theatre

The Unicorn Theatre was founded by Caryl Jenner as a touring company in 1947 with a commitment to giving children a valuable and often first ever experience of quality theatre, and a philosophy that 'the best of theatre for children should be judged on the same high standards of writing, directing, acting and design as the best of adult theatre'. 

Today, the Unicorn is the UK's leading professional theatre for young audiences, dedicated to inspiring and invigorating young people of all ages, perspectives and abilities, and empowering them to explore the world – on their own terms – through theatre. 

They strive to push the boundaries of imagination in everything that they do; welcoming families, schools, and young people for unforgettable theatrical experiences that will expand horizons, change perspectives, and challenge how we all see and understand each other. 

Our purpose built home at London Bridge contains two theatres, four floors of public spaces and two rehearsal studios; allowing us to work with some of the world’s most exciting theatre-makers to produce, present and tour a surprising, innovative and broad range of work that is honest, refreshing and international in outlook.

They serve over 60,000 children and their parents and carers every year through their extensive programme of work both on and offstage. 

Adapted from: "https://www.unicorntheatre.com/about-us"

Polka Theatre

Polka Theatre is one of the few venues in the UK which is dedicated to producing and presenting work for young audiences. Since the doors opened in 1979, this unique venue has been entertaining children with resonant, engaging and exciting theatre.

Over 90,000 children a year come to Polka and are inspired, stimulated and engaged by theatre, often for the first time. Polka strives to stir the emotions, spark the imagination and, most of all, entertain. Its two theatre spaces, the Main Theatre and the Adventure Theatre are designed especially for children so that their first taste of theatre is welcoming and relevant.

At Polka children aged 0 to 14 enjoy a wide-range of experiences designed to make theatre a natural part of their lives: from the powerful drama Stamping, Shouting and Singing Home; to hilarious family shows like Flat Stanley; fantastic world-premieres of new plays for children like Cloud Pictures; and adaptations of well-loved stories like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

Polka Theatre for the very young is a vital part of Polka’s artistic programming. Over the past few years Polka has developed its Early Years work and established itself as a centre for innovation in this field. Children as young as 9 months and their families are brought into a colourful and stimulating environment where simple stories are told in a sensory and visual way. Early Years shows also visit Polka from across Europe encouraging the telling of a diverse range of stories in a varied and exciting way.

Creative programming keeps Polka’s work fresh and relevant. Audiences can expect imaginative new writers, dynamic performers, inventive adaptations of popular stories and resonant subjects. Everything they do is focused on providing children with thrilling world-class theatre.

At the heart of Polka’s work is a programme of learning that encourages children to explore and develop creatively. Every Polka show is supported by a learning programme. Polka embraces family learning and encourages it through exciting family days, after-show events and show-related activities packs. It also runs a regular programme of out-of-school clubs and summer schools giving children the freedom to explore their creativity and learn a wide-range of performance skills from storytelling to puppetry.

Polka is first and foremost a local theatre, loved by the people of Wimbledon and the wider London community, but enjoys an international reputation, known the world over as a pioneer of theatre for children, consistently setting the standard and raising audience’s expectations.

When you come and see a show at Polka you won’t just enjoy the theatre. Polka’s welcoming building is a resource for local people with its friendly café, worry-free foyer with big toys and a book corner, a charming garden and a playground complete with a Wendy House and giant cat! It is playful, fun and interactive - Polka stimulates even the biggest child’s imagination and is a magical place where you can share a special moment with your children.

Polka is also a registered charity! Up to 800 children visit Polka every day and Polka introduces thousands of children from disadvantaged backgrounds to theatre for the first time each year. 

Adapted from: "http://www.polkatheatre.com/editorial/about-us"

Introduction to Children's Theatre

Children's theatre is completely different to any other form of theatre or acting; it is being happy as much as possible, over acting and putting aside possible complex metaphors and techniques and prioritising bright colours and what may look and/or sound fascinating on stage. In this Unit we will travel to several primary schools performing for pupils with ages varying from 5 years old to 12 years old.