Writing Drama for Theatre in Education
How To Write Your First TIE Educational Play for Children
Writing for theatre in education can be a hugely rewarding experience. The author's work can educate, entertain and make a difference. But to a writer new to the discipline it can be a daunting prospect. Here are some things a writer should consider.
What’s Your Age Range?
It’s very important that the writer knows what age they are writing for. Children who are only a year or two apart can differ drastically in their psychological make up. Giving a play a broader age appeal may make it easier to sell but it may also make it incomprehensible to different age groups.
Practical limitations
It’s unlikely that a touring T.I.E company will have the resources for huge sets and Ben Hur size casts. The writer should make your play simple to stage and limit it to three to four actors. That doesn’t mean they have to limit the number of characters but they should keep in mind when they’re writing which actors will be doubling up which parts.
Plays That Are Relevant To Today
This doesn’t mean the play has to be set in today’s world but it can help if it is. Lee O’Driscoll of the Take Away Theatre Company says, “In our first play, “Hope” we deliberately constructed a portion of the play around a singing talent contest due to the massive popularity of shows like American Idol and X Factor. It proved to be a very successful part of the play.” Furthermore education authorities are very keen on topical issues such us cyber bullying or child obesity. If a play can incorporate a topical issue it will be easier to find it a home.
Hide your message in humour
If a writer can make their play funny then they will immediately get the audiences attention. Quirky over the top characters are what kids remember and they will help ease the discomfort of having to sit still for thirty to forty minutes. Anything that appears to look or sound educational will bore children. Humour helps to distant the audience from this.
Children Don’t Like To Be Patronised
It’s true that all T.I.E plays must have a moral or informative message but the writer must try and allow their story to get that across. i.e they shouldn't have characters speaking the moral meaning of the play to the audience. Children are intuitive enough to make up their own minds what they think the play is really about. It’s also more than likely that the play will be followed by a discussion where the meanings and moral messages can be explored as a class.
Point of Decision
The writer should give their characters big conflicted decisions to make. This means the play will be an excellent forum for class discussion. Should this character have done that? Would you have done the same in his/her position? Etc.
Rewriting
If the writer is lucky enough to have their play staged they should remember that it’s an ongoing process. They should not be afraid to change things that aren’t working or add extra scenes that perhaps they just didn’t have time to put in first time round.
If a writer is still unsure and daunted by the numerous information about playwriting out there, a good place to start is How To Write Your First Play which gives a beginners an overview of the process.
