Characteristics of a Children's Audience

~ the differences between an audience full of adults and one filled with children ~

inspired by the book: Theatre for Children by David Wood with Janet Grant

When performing in a theatre, actors can expect an adult audience to remain seated for the entirety of the show (unless they think the performance is SO BAD or need to leave for an emergency). Actors can also expect the audience to clap and possibly give a standing ovation at the end of the show. The cast can also expect the audience will remain quiet and not talk during the performance.

When performing in front of an audience of children - the game changes.
Children will yell at "the bad guy", leave if they think the play is "stupid" or "lame", they will talk to their friends seated beside them when they are excited or don't understand something on stage AND children know what they like. They will clap if they like it and will show their appreciation only when they truly enjoy the play. If they do not enjoy the performance, they won't clap or cheer "just to be polite".

Indeed when it comes to comparing adult & child audiences there is no doubt that children are the honest ones while the adults are the polite ones.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A CHILDREN'S AUDIENCE

#1. Children eagerly respond to Justice.

-when one character wrongs another

-what's "fair"

-justice prevails and good triumphs over evil

-gives children hope during times when they are wronged

*adults respond to characters responding to justice (good or bad)

#2. Children like to be frightened - within limits.

-being exposed to a negative force or evil character within the safety of a theatre

-the opportunity to interact with evil, stand up and save the day without being caused any trauma

-the supernatural, monsters make-believe or magic

-introduction of evil realities they may have to face in the future or in adult life

*adults have been exposed to more evil than children and need more "umph" to be frightened

#3. Children are healthily subversive.

-anything rude is found funny

-things that are considered inappropriate by adults in polite society are entertaining

-bodily functions, smelly socks, underpants, etc.

-daydreaming, disobedience, talking back, concealing one's thoughts/feelings & making fun of school & family

*adults are repulsed, turned-off or become disinterested if a production is not "tasteful"

[that is, if the adult audience is expecting a professional & serious show -

sometimes adults also like the crude. Surprise.]

#4. Children are logical.

-children do not enjoy, like or understand sub-plots or loose ends

*adults usually don't either but will be polite and say "nice show" even if they wanted to know what the hell happened???!!!

#5. Children act differently and unpredictably.

-children won't always yell out the right answer when asked for

-children may chant something unexpected like "teach him a lesson!" or "not that way!"

-try to predict what they will say & when but know that may not be the results you get

*adults do not tend to yell out or chant anything during a production and are difficult to encourage to do so

#6. Children make noise during productions.

-children may find the urge to copy a character's movement (ie. hop like a kangaroo)

-tip-up seats are NOT recommended for children's audiences

-children will speak with their friends when they get excited or don't understand something

*adults will sit still and silently to be polite...even if they think the play is awful

#7. Children respond to action.

-conversation must be linked with action or some kind of movement

-characters simply sitting and speaking is BORING

-children don't want a debate, they want things to get done!

*adults can remain attentive to a conversation and follow along more easily

#8. Children don't like being patronised.

-don't speak sweetly or down to them like a dog. Kids will TURN OFF

-if you question the intelligence of your audience you are sure that they will not respect you or the show

*adults don't like to be patronised either. Duh.

#9. Children don't like "lovey-dovey" stuff.

-children are more interested in the plight and challenges of two lovers than how they fell in love

*adults appreciate a good romance or a story of intense passion

#10. Children love animals and toys.

-children often imagine their toys or pets are alive with their own personalities & enjoy seeing this concept come to life on a stage

-children feel safer if the characters are animals or toys rather than someone that looks like themselves

*adults prefer stories about human interaction and relationships as our imagination has more limits than that of a child

#11. Children love stories

-play must have a strong, coherent, logical, basic and interesting plot with well-defined focus and characters

-children understand action & reaction better than reflection

-a journey from A to B is a simple concept but the conflicts amongst the characters and the obstacles along the way are what makes it interesting.

*adults love stories too. That's why we have live theatre!

Remember my friends and local thespians that if we do not cater to our children's audiences today and get them hooked on live theatre at a young age - we will not have an adult audience in the years to come.

ACTING - it's not just about 'PLAYING'

Many people think acting is either really easy because all actors do is prance around a stage in silly costumes speaking with silly voices, OR, people think acting is really hard because you have to do and say things in front of other people.  There is so much more to Actors and the world of Acting.
Actors don't just 'play'.   "[Actors] remind people that things can change, wounds can heal, people can be forgiven, and closed hearts can be open again." - Larry Moss

Acting is about making people feel, think and question themselves, others and the world.
Acting is a means of expression.
Acting is an outlet for individuals to show others deep emotions and thoughts that are experienced.
Acting is a way to pretend to be someone else, live in someone else's shoes, have someone else's family, have someone else's dreams and go through someone else's experiences.
Acting is a vehicle to be used as a way of expressing ideas, concepts and physicality that would otherwise be "socially unacceptable".
Actors take nothing from an audience except for applause, tears and laughter.


It is hard work.  Rehearsing twice a week, every week for 3 months to put on only 5 or 8 shows.  It's a lot of lines to memorize.  It means a lot of research into people, places, societies and times in history in order to develop a character.  

There are people who do not understand why actors do what they do. Especially actors in community & alternative theatre as they do not get paid for their time or hard work.  To people who ask "why do you do it?" or "wouldn't you rather do something that pays?" I simply reply by asking them whether or not they have ever volunteered.  

Acting is volunteering and it is rewarding.  Though we do not usually get paid, though we sometimes must endure critics, notes from directors, ridicule from adjudicators and snickers from an audience, we as actors dedicate ourselves to the art of becoming someone else.  We live someone else's life, go through their trials and tribulations.  We survive the torment of thoughts in their mind, sometimes die as them or worse, experience a loss far greater than any death.  We do this so that YOU as an audience member can experience these, through us, from the safety of your seat.

This is the gift actors give to us all for the mere price of an applause.

The Intent to Live, by Larry Moss

This Book CHANGED MY LIFE!!!

Anyone and everyone interested in Theatre as an Actor, Director or Producer MUST OWN THIS BOOK!

I was playing the role of Irma Kronkite in William Hinge's PICNIC at the Palace Theatre in London, Ontario when the director (Don Fleckser) recommended that each of us as cast members find a copy of this book, rent it, read it buy it WHATEVER...just get your hands on this book!  So I did :)

Larry Moss delves a bit into his own life experiences and the steps he's taken to get where he is today.  If you do not know who Larry Moss is - PLEASE view his interview on Youtube in which he talks about his book, "the Intent to Live"

In this book, Moss describes building a character from "the ground up", superobjective and objective (getting what you want), Obstacles & Intention (how you get what you want), Stakes (what is it worth to you), Inner Imagery "the Life Within", Finding your Triggers (Emotions on Demand), Defining and Redefining your character, back story and biography of your character and SO MUCH MORE!

What I have enjoyed most about this book was the lessons Moss teaches between the lines.  In chapter 5, Moss discusses a monologue in Maxwell Anderson's Winterset and describes it as a "vivid and disturbing monologue".  The monologue is actually given in the book however, Moss recommends that any reference used or touched upon to express an opinion, thought or lesson which the reader is unfamiliar with, should (for their own benefit) research it!  There are so many references in this book and his lessons are powerful.  Without researching the actual pieces he quotes, the reader will only get half of the lesson to be learned.

By reading "the Intent to Live", I have become more knowledgeable about playwrights whom I did not know existed, I've learned various approaches to creating characters and working with a script, I've learned how to respect the playwright by using the given facts in a script to create exceptional characters without losing the intentions of the writer, and I now understand that acting is NOT just about being funny and making people laugh and being entertaining - it's about bringing someone else to life and making people feel and care.

"Acting represents all that human beings experience, and if you want it to be 'nice', you will never be a serious communicator of the human experience...You can't stay clean and tidy and be an actor."

Thank-you Larry Moss for the wake-up call.

Now, I'm ready to work!