Works intended for children are part of children's theater.
The concept of children's theater can refer to different ideas . On the one hand, children's theater covers those works written with children as recipients : that is, they aspire to be seen by children.
Children's theater, on the other hand, mentions playwriting texts that are created or performed by adolescents or children . A group of children, in this sense, can create and perform their own works , becoming exponents of this type of children's theater.
Classification of children's theater
Regarding children's theater that has children as potential recipients of the proposals, it is developed in two different ways. The most common is what is known as children's theater by internalization , with an adult writing the works according to what they believe a child might be interested in. For this, the writer must take into account the age of the children he aims to captivate since the contents have to be linked to the intellectual and emotional maturity of the viewer.
Children's theater by appropriation , on the other hand, appears when children adopt works that, in principle, did not have them as recipients. These are works designed for the general public but, due to certain characteristics , end up captivating the little ones.
At a general level, it can be said that children's theater relies on cartoonish characters, colorful costumes and musical components (songs, dance choreographies, etc.). Many times works have a moral so that viewers acquire or develop certain values that are considered positive.
Children's theater usually includes the use of marionettes or puppets.
Proposals and events
In some cities around the world there is a clear commitment to offering their smaller neighbors a wide range of children's theatre. And it is considered to be the way for them to learn, to have fun and, above all, to begin to enjoy cultural activity in general from an early age.
This would be the case, for example, of Malaga, which opts for some of its publicly owned theaters to basically focus on having programming dedicated to children, as would be the case of the famous Cánovas Theater .
In the same way, we cannot overlook a Spanish initiative that has also become a global benchmark in children's theater. We are referring to the Titirimundi contest, which takes place in the city of Segovia .
This event was created in 1985 and since then it has been operating with great success in the Castilian-Leonese city. This project is specifically focused on the world of puppet theater, which each year offers a program where the best companies in the sector take part in order to greatly enjoy both children and adults. The streets and squares of the city are those that become improvised stages for the different shows that for several days fill them with magic, fantasy, humor, imagination and creativity. Specifically, as a general rule, this international festival usually takes place during the month of May.