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16-636: The Unicorn Theatre is a children's theatre in the London Borough of Southwark , in England. It is a custom-built, RIBA Award–winning building on Tooley Street , which opened in 2005. The theatre was designed by Keith Williams , built by Arup and comprises two theatre spaces (the Weston and Clore Theatres), an education studio, rehearsal space, café and the John Lyon meeting room. The theatre

32-670: A TYA production with child actors. Those are rarely, however, part of the companies’ main stage season. Many Theatre for Young Audiences productions still revolve around traditional child-friendly topics, such as fairy tales and magical quests. A number of theatre companies, such as Seattle Children’s Theatre , Imagination Stage , and the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company , have been working to create and produce plays and musicals for young audiences that are more intelligent and diverse. Recent work has explored themes that include parental abuse (e.g. An Afternoon of

48-607: Is an Arts Council England National Portfolio organisation. From 1944 Caryl Jenner wrote Christmas pantomimes for small-time playhouses. During performances she would make note of the behaviour of the children, recording what scenes and sequences held their attention, and which did not. In November 1949 Caryl Jenner created the Mobile Theatre Ltd. Jenner's mission was to drive around the towns of Britain, as well as isolated villages to bring theatre to new audiences. They supplemented their income by performing to adults in

64-661: The Washington Square Players . She was the first British actress to tour America from coast to coast. From the 1920s on she worked exclusively on theater for children, writing plays and sending professional actors on tour to perform them. Clare Tree Major was born in 1880 in England. She emigrated to the United States in 1914. In 1924, she started the Children's Theatre of New York The following year, she produced The Little Poor Man . She founded

80-488: The 20th century, TYA takes on many functions in different settings and places around the world. In the US, for instance, it is often entertainment-centered, although its roots lie in education. Many writers and production companies have started catering specifically to TYA audiences, causing a continuous increase in theatrical material for children. In the present day, TYA production companies or groups can be found in most regions of

96-693: The Chicago company The Junior League, New York producer Clare Tree Major , The Children’s Theatre of Evanston, and many others. Today, TYA continues to thrive, with an increasing number of playwrights, performers, producers, and companies taking part in it. Most TYA productions in the US are plays, with a fast-growing number of musicals taking second place. However, most performing arts forms have been adapted and incorporated into Theatre for Young Audiences, including physical theatre, operas, puppetry, dance, street performance, and many others. Some companies specifically cater to non-traditional theatre forms, such as

112-593: The Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle ), divorce (e.g. Doors , by Suzan Zeder), death (e.g. Afflicted , by Laurie Brooks), and social barriers such as racism, xenophobia, and homophobia (e.g. The Transition of Doodle Pequeño , by Gabriel Jason Dean). Clare Tree Major Clare Tree Major (1880 – 10 October 1954) was a stage director, playwright, producer of children's theater, and actress. She first acted in London, but in 1914 she came to New York to perform with

128-563: The MainStreet Theatre Company and the Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta. Several major companies performing Theatre for Young Audiences exist across the US, including but not limited to Imagination Stage , Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company , Seattle Children’s Theatre , Lexington Children’s Theatre, Adventure State Chicago, and Boston Children’s Theatre, all producing work specifically for younger audiences throughout

144-484: The Moscow Theatre for Children viewed its goal as representing childhood needs, separating the struggles of childhood from those of adult life. Similar TYA groups were established in England, the US, France, and Czechoslovakia between World War I and World War II. Education was the main purpose of TYA when it first arrived to the US. In 1903, Alice Minnie Herts founded The Children’s Educational Theatre, which

160-605: The US and around the world. Theatre performed by or for children dates back hundreds of years. The first mention is seen in a 1784 entry in Madame de Genlis ’s Memoirs, in which she describes a performance by her two daughters to the Duke of Chartres . TYA became its own branch of theatre in the 20th century, first appearing in Moscow, when Russian actress Natalia Satz founded the Moscow Theatre for Children in 1918. In its early stages,

176-542: The country count on casts of professional adult actors to portray all roles. For instance, the Arvada Center ’s 2016 production of an adaptation of the novel Junie B. Jones was produced with adult actors, including Melissa Morris, Katie Jackson, and Rachelle Wood, portraying characters who are around the age of 12. A number children’s companies in the US have designated programs, in which the children engage with workshops and experimental rehearsals in order to create

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192-542: The country, and material for younger audiences was both presented at these establishments and distributed to any interested groups. The Drama League was responsible for changing theatre for children from its originally purely educational intent into the broader Theatre for Young Audiences known today. Once the TYA movement started to gain traction, many different companies and playwrights chose to partake in this new branch of theatre. Some include early TYA playwright Constance Mackay,

208-687: The evenings. In 1962, the name changed again, to the Unicorn Theatre Club. In 1967, the company gave up touring having received an annual grant from the Arts Council, took up the lease at the Arts Theatre in London, which remained its home until the present Unicorn Theatre was built in 2005. Jenner died on 29 January 1973 at the age of 55. The current president is Juliet Stevenson , who took over from Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE in 2007. Children%27s theatre Originating in

224-433: The year, offering performances both of new work and TYA classics. Most Theatre for Young Audiences plays are written by adult playwrights, although occasional projects are led and constructed by the younger audiences themselves. Different schools of thought within TYA argue whether or not younger characters should be portrayed by children or by adult actors. At the present, most TYA productions in children’s companies around

240-477: Was founded in 1949, by Caryl Jenner , originally as a mobile theatre; In 1961, Jenner began presenting children's productions at the Arts Theatre in the West End , and in 1967 the company took over the lease of the theatre which then became Unicorn's permanent performing base until 1999; during this period the normal run of adult performances continued during the evenings. The Unicorn is a registered charity and

256-477: Was the first US company to produce theatrical work both with and for children. Although it did not last long, The Children’s Educational Theatre inspired both the birth of other companies around the country, as well as continuous growth in the writing and production of plays for younger audiences. The Drama League of America was another big influence in TYA within the US: children’s leagues were established in cities across

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