CHILDREN'S THEATRE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 65, 9 December 1937, Page 13

CHILDREN'S THEATRE

Russian Girl's Dream Realised I BigKteen years ago a young an# entkasiaBtic Eussjan girl, Natalia Satz, dreamed of founding a thaiifeEO exclupively for children. This theatre would Be directed "by scientists and artists |who had charted tho mysterious depths and shallows of the juvenile xnind, and by the artistie co-ordination of drama, pojnedy, music and colour make the legitimate stage a place where pleasure tnoulded character. To-day the dream of Natalia Satz lives in the Moscow Theatre for Children, and more than a hundred similar theatres organised throughout the Soviet Union. The Moscow Theatre for Children is organised along the same lines as any theatre catering for the amusement of adults, with this exception — -it demands a highly-qualifled type of actor. The permanent staff, including actors, mnsieians, playwrights, scenic artists, ete,, number^ 175 perscms, and 50 adult actors are in constant employpient. The fact that the majority of the actors have been with the theatre from 10 to li years is an indiaation of the speciak ised nature of the work. In the 15 years of its existence tha theatre has produced approsipiateJy 50 different plays and performed to nearly 5,000,000 children* ' Tha auditorinm is built to seat 800 children, and performinces are given once a day; during lehool vacation and pnblic h°Udays caatineeg are additiQnal performanBes,. The theatre is invariably full to oyerfLowing. It does not pregent the same performance for children of all ages.j tJnder the direction of Professorj E. A. ArMn and a group of! gsyehologists and edueationists, scienfcific tests were made, and the plays are aceordingly -written for age! groups. The group of 6-10-yearrolds ioes not attend the' perfprmance pf .the ehUdren aged 11-15 years. This work is deyeloped alqng special (ines. Thp children are enconraged fo write letters to the actors and nianage* aient pxpressing their apinions of ihe rarious plays and the individual charr fl.cters. These letters are analysed, and frojn the many thousands received in a year valuabla scieptiflc data is obtained. Anether aspeet qf this wqrk is to nqte the lasting eifect ef a performance on variops children, together with the jpeeial reaetions of boys and girls to similar situations. Price of admission to the theatre is 50 kopeks. and children from orpham

ages are admitted free. The seats are arranged according to. height, so that the smaller children have an nninterrupted view of the stage. Attached to the theatre is a buffet and various play^ rooms. The youthful audience invari^ ably arrives about an hour before the performance. What typetf of plays are presented to the children? Dramaa, dramatised fhiry tales, comediee, science fantasies, The hero of Sherwood Forest, the English Robin Hood, has been dramatised fof the Moscow Theatre for Children/ and is a great favorite. How is this character presented? The following statement is from the critic of Vechernaya Moskva — Moscow's evening paper: "Robin Hood at the Theatre for Children is not the comic-opera character of the American filrns. He is a leader of the peasant forces. G. Holtz's sets and costumes breathe the spirit of Old England. Director Sergei Rozanov interlarded this children 's eomedy with pantomime, a scene from the present day, and a whole set of marionefctes. Adroitly put together, this presentation proved to be timely, clear and simple, holding the audience by its rollicking f un, ' ' 1