I don’t really know what children’s theater is, and to be honest, I don’t subscribe to the idea that one should write specifically for children. What interests children in theater is what allows them to escape the childish world in which they are sometimes confined, in the illusory goal of protecting them. Conversely, theater is primarily aimed at adults who have kept a childlike soul: the ability to dream, to be moved and to be amazed.
It is obvious that some plays, not specifically written for children, are more likely to suit them and please them than others. But it is up to the children themselves to decide, with the help of their facilitators or teachers. And fortunately, their choices sometimes surprise us. Moreover, when we talk about theater for children, what age group are we referring to? Pre-teens and other adolescents, who are ultimately only young adults, do not necessarily have the same tastes and concerns as younger children.
I don’t know if I have written plays for children. In any case, if I have, it was not deliberate, to address this particular audience. However, I do notice that some of my plays are more often performed by children or teenagers than others. This is especially true for my comedy sketches, as they do not require a lot of memorization and concentration over a long period of time, and because they generally rely on an absurd humor that children, in their great wisdom, are very sensitive to.
Sometimes, more surprisingly, plays featuring very adult characters, even elderly people, who are anything but heroes or role models. Children also like to imitate adults, to make fun of their flaws and ridiculousness, which of course do not escape them. So let us allow our children at the theater the pleasure of laughing with us, and even better, of laughing at us.
