Calls for a joint effort by members of the CTAA to develop a national climate in which theatre is an important part of the lives of young people. (PD)

If art, when defined by existential and phenomenological boundaries, promotes self-understanding, then the verbal arts in particular offer fully developed hypothetical analogues of humans in action. The need to find some measure of self-knowledge through art does not diminish with age, but the self-understanding promoted by the portrayal of the…

Clara Tree Major, the first producer to provide professional touring plays exclusively for children's audiences (from 1925 until 1954), not only produced these plays but also wrote the scripts by adapting children's stories for the theatre. This paper investigates Major's playwriting principles and techniques, examines Major's philosophy in play…

Noting that theatre for young people in Europe is much more aggressive in seeking to influence the attitudes and ideas of audiences than that of the United States, this paper examines the political and social trends occurring in children's theatre in four European countries. Following an introduction to this trend toward "educational…

One of the most creative, active, purposeful and successful efforts of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP), active from 1935 to 1939, was the Children's Theatre. Plays for production were selected on the basis of educational and cultural value, with special attention on sufficient realism to help children's awareness of self and place in the world.…

Believes that children's theater can reach a new level of acceptance and importance despite reduced resources, but practitioners must emphasize quality, standards, artistry, and professionalism, not just quantity and enthusiasm. Considers ways to guarantee and reward artistry. (PD)

There is a great need for bilingual/bicultural education, especially for Spanish-speaking students, who now number approximately three million in United States elementary and secondary schools. One educational experience for such students has been the presentation of bilingual plays in several of the New York City schools. Beginning with a play in…

Expresses concern that community and bonding be nurtured in children. Considers ways to bring the community into theatre and also teach children the concept of community. (PD)

Before considering the portrayal of values in children's dramaturgy, this paper discusses definitions of values, examines the way in which children learn values and the confusion about values that contemporary children may feel, and reviews books that deal with the role of children's literature in values education. It then identifies five…

Research indicates that children possess four important personality characteristics and abilities which define them as resilient. These characteristics and abilities are social competence, problem solving skills, autonomy, and a sense of purpose and future. In addition, several qualities of the environment of resilient youth tend to predict…

Interviews with representatives from ten foreign countries offer a base for the comparison of professionalism in children's theatre programs and indicate specific differences that exist in the United States and in each of the other countries. The United States differs from the other countries in its definition of professionalism, its lack of…

The processes involved in drama and the dramatic play of children are essentially the same in that they rely on an imitation of nature, involve a transformation of reality through imagination, connect seemingly irrelevant elements creatively, and bring a temporary, limited order to an emotional experience. When child's play is used as a basis for…