Child's play - in praise of young actors

When the Bristol Old Vic revived the game in my book Coram son, who has chosen to use a cast of real children - and with great success

Where the Director has decided to Melly Still young women in their 20 years as a young male singers in 2005 National Theatre production of Coram son my book, a few eyebrows were raised. How can this be credible? In addition, there were so many brilliant young actors of each child think of Billy Elliot, Oliver, Annie (and compare the recent RSC production of Matilda, with many young stars)

And of course, there is a long history of young performers. Those of us raised in Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O'Brien and Shirley Temple how beautifully the children acted in movies. In fact, I was so inspired that I desperately wanted to be a child star. Every time I came to England from India, where he was born and spent much of my childhood, we were in a flat in Ealing, and once, about six years, I approached the person the largest I've seen in the Ealing Studios, who happened to be next to the library, asking if he could be a child star. He kindly took my name and address and said he would contact. Years passed before I realized it was the porter at the door.

However, the theater, the suspension of disbelief queen. Black actors can play the English kings, puppets can be war horses, the girls will be boys, adults and young children of their age.

remember the late Anthony Minghella puppet with a child in his production of Madame Butterfly. This caused much debate at the time, but many felt that managed to portray the confusion of children handled by adults. New production of Tom Morris of Swallows and Amazons has all four child protagonists played by adults - and it works wonderfully. Children's theaters, such as the polka and the Unicorn, London, young adults commonly used to playing children. I had the experience of seeing two adult actors in the first, at Wimbledon, playing parts of a three year old girl and a boy of seven, in a game of mine called the same way that wove Just So Stories of Kipling in a space of two children who, like Kipling and his younger sister, remained in England while his parents returned to India. The emotions explored and absolute power of the story that he was absorbed in the lives of children and forgot the actors themselves.

But the beauty of life, and live theater is that it is a party in constant motion, capable of coping with the change of events above, the constant search for creative solutions to problems. A movie is the same movie if it is shown in a multiplex or a church hall. A new theatrical production in a different theater, with a budget and cast different space, requires a new approach.

So when Tom Morris, artistic director of Bristol Old Vic, Coram Boy called Melly Still reliving in Bristol, one of the first decisions was to make important parts of children with children . But could it really? Melly knew he was dealing with characters who were children, but with characters who, like children, some deeper, darker scenario. Moreover, they had to be able to sing and act, and take into account issues of adults whose children are involved. The casting choice, therefore, could be front money differently. This is a play about child trafficking, infanticide, teen pregnancy and public performance. In the case of young children participating in a conspiracy, and could give the kind of performance to be true and credible, not only cute and shy?

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