Children's Theater as a Reflection of Contemporary Values

A serious discussion of children's theater has seemed to lag behind discussions of children's literature in general. One may ask how many times one can go over the major themes of "Little Red Riding Hood," "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," or any of the other "cute" plays usually performed for children on a Saturday afternoon? To regard children's theatre as merely a frivolous activity or surrogate babysitter is to consign it and the child's world to candy cane trees and bewitching goblins. If going to the theatre has value for adults to the extent that it speaks about their lives and the world they live in, then it has the same potential value when the audience is made up of children. We are fortunate to have two recent books of children's plays, Political Plays for Children and Contemporary Children's Theater, which show respect for children and deal with contemporary problems.

As the title suggests, Political Plays for Children makes the more radical departure from those we are accustomed to seeing. The plays are the collective product of the Grips theatre in West Germany. The theatre wishes to "show children how to make full use of their Grips,"¹ which loosely translated is "German slang for wit, common sense and imagination," to counteract the negligent and abusive treatment of children in West Germany. Those working at the Grips theatre feel that the general hostility to children and the repressive education given them is rooted in the German tradition, evidenced in the "childish, feudal fairy-tale play," which serves only to cut off children from the reality of their oppression and lull them to sleep. In America, television is the mass communicator that cuts children off from the reality of their lives. The child is bombarded with looney, violent cartoons, explosive, simplistic superhero stories, and extravagant space Odysseys. So Grips Theater presents a welcome alternative for our children.

Given this context, it is perhaps not surprising to find that the plays put on by the collective are stripped of the traditional accoutrements found in any children's plays, or that when they do appear, they are in a new guise. To begin with, there are no bizarre or colorful settings as backdrops for garish costumes. Indeed in none of the three plays included is there either a description of the setting or the characters. Places, when designated, are rendered simply as "a street, a kitchen, a factory." Characters need not be specifically described since this is largely done through the names given them. Whereas the children are usually made specific by such names as Tom, Pam, Christy, Pete, Mary Lou, the adults are objectified as societal types: e.g. salesman, Mr. Sneak, Mrs. Snoop, Crab, Schmuck, Knick and Knock. Undoubtedly, the intent here is to present a stark reality in which the battle lines are drawn. Whether the conflict is between parents and children, freedom and oppression, owners and workers, or men and women, the plays encourage children to see that not only do they have a choice of sides, but also a chance to change the existing reality and the roles that are played out within it. Consequently, the plays are primarily demonstrations of what the social reality is and how to challenge it, i.e. to change it. The plays have a political message to deliver, and therefore anything which could potentially obfuscate the message, such as individual character development or theatrical paraphenalia, is kept to a minimum or eliminated altogether. Even songs and music are used as a commentary on the dramatic situation. These characteristics are seen to best advantage in the play "Mugnog."

In this play by Rainer Hachfeld, the two children, Pam and Tom, are looking for something to do. Initially, they decide to costume themselves and play various roles, but this soon proves unsatisfactory. Then while defending themselves against the landlord's complaints, they give the name Mugnog to an ordinary box, which then sets the whole play in motion. Mugnog is the name which serves to deflect the blame placed...