"Age Appropriate"

Let’s talk about age appropriateness for a school show.  If you are reading this blog you probably know something about child development - either as a parent or as an elementary school educator.  Then you know that the difference in communication style and comprehension between a kindergartner and a fifth-grader can feel like they are not just five years apart, they are five light-years apart!  And you probably also know that many schools, when they book a program, want the program for the whole school, which usually means K-5 but could mean K-6 or even pre-K to 6.  That’s quite a range.  

So hear are some things to think about regarding age ranges and school performance material.

For some types of performances, the group or individual should be able to adjust the show so that it is appropriate for, say, grades K-2 and then for 3-5.  For example, if it is a story-teller - just one person, their microphone and maybe a few props - then one would hope that they have material appropriate for the different ages and the skill to adjust their vocabulary accordingly.  If it’s a musician or musical group, one would hope that when they talk about the music (if they do), they use language appropriate to the audience.  You should definitely ask a group before you book them if they adjust the show for different age groups. 

Which brings up our next point. If you are thinking of booking a show that has a lot of technical aspects or is a complex piece of theatre, it's possible that it only has one version. For example, if a show has original music, it's very difficult to have one set of songs for K-2 and another set for 3-5. That would mean, in effect, writing two shows about the same material and rehearsing two shows and staging two shows, etc., etc. Likewise, if a show has considerable technical effects, then chances are, the effects fit to specific words and timings in the script and having two versions of the show means having two versions of a soundtrack or a lighting plot or magic tricks or whatever. 

So what does that mean?  It means that many complex shows will probably be designed to target somewhere in the middle of the elementary school age range (actually, it will probably target the upper-middle, since a kindergartner will enjoy something geared towards a 5th grader even if they don't understand all of it, but the reverse is not necessarily the case). In this case, it is important to make sure the younger students have been prepped for the show.  Any good, professional company will send you a study guide before the performance and it should help you prepare your audience with vocabulary and concepts covered in the show.  Actually, it's a really good idea to do that with ANY show and with your whole audience - as we've mentioned before, bringing in an assembly or going on a field trip is an investment, and prepping your students is a great way to get the most out of your investment. 

Next time, we are going to look at the economics of Theatre for young audiences.