In This Issue :

Terry Adlam explains why writing children's comedy is no joke
Diana Moore suggests getting involved in local drama


KIDS STUFF
By Terry Adlam

Writing comedy for kids may seem at first an easy option. All you've got to do is get out all those old gags and sketches that anybody under the age of eight hasn't heard before. Tart them up a bit, give them a topical slant and make sure someone falls over in at least one sketch and you mention the word 'Bum' in another. Send them to an appropriate producer and before you can say 'Bob's your mother's brother.' your witty one-liners or puerile punch lines are spreading around the playground like a rash. WRONG! When it comes to kiddy comedy, children are as choosy and critical as adults.

For the purpose of this article I'm looking at kids' TV comedy which during my childhood was called 'Children's Hour', but has now been extended to two hours twice a day and has catchy titles such as CBBC and CITV.

Kid's comedy covers quite a wide and diverse age range. From the simple colourful antics of the Teletubbies for the tots and toddlers to the excellent Tweenies for the pre-school child. The Chuckle Brothers and The Wiggles cater for the early school goers while the more wordy antics and slapstick of the many cartoon characters and quick fire sketch shows such as the recent Butt Ugly Martians and Giggly Bitz humours the juniors. Beyond twelve or thirteen the choice begins to grow more sophisticated and the comedy is not restricted to the designated three to five o'clock children's slot.

So what should you bear in mind when writing comedy for children? In reality - and in my experience - it is no different than writing comedy for adults, but you must just consider the obvious parameters. Children have a fairly short concentration span and will not want to sit through a long sketch with reams of dialogue and character development. They want quick funny gags and visuals that are both silly and nine times out of ten, messy. A custard pie in the face or someone falling into a pond will always guarantee a laugh with the youngsters- and to a certain extent many adults. The characters need to be instantly recognisable and something the age range can relate to. So home, school, playground locations are in, offices, pubs and gym are out.

Children love puns even though most don't understand what a pun is. This doesn't matter because it makes them laugh and that's all they want. My daughter who is just three years old has a joke that she finds hilarious and which made me laugh the first hundred times I heard it. It's simple, its quick and it's funny. 'Why did the crab go to jail? Because it kept pinching things.' Okay, so it's not going to get you a commission on Smack the Pony, but it is the type of material that children programme makers are looking for.

One of the most important factors to bear in mind is the content. Violence, Sex, Swearing, Racism and other adult subjects are taboo. It seems obvious to most, but I've spoken to producers of children shows who've been sent some of the most gory and salacious sketches that would be hard pushed to get on late night TV. Violence is a bit of a grey area as some of the imported cartoons are full of battles and exploding characters, but they get through because they are animated. This is something I personally find strange, because animated or not, the influence is still there, but I'll save that for another article. Suffice to say that slapstick is acceptable but anything with weapons or that portrays real violence is not accepted by producers.

Saying all that, don't be afraid to nudge the boundaries. My experience for writing for children was as an un-commissioned writer on CITV's Giggly Bitzs. This quick fire sketch show aimed at the 9 - 12 year olds was looking for fairly contemporary and topical material and subject matter selected include such activities as nose picking, farting and throwing up. Not subjects that at first you would think suitable, but let's face it, and parents amongst you will nod in agreement, when I say that they are pastimes that most, if not all children, find fascinating and funny.

It also helps if you know what kids find funny. If you have children of you own that's quite easy, but if you haven't there are ways and means of finding out. Watching children's TV is a good idea as is reading children's comics. Speaking to parents or teachers who are at the sharp end of childish humour is another good idea, but like any market, you have to do research. Look at the trends and fads. I guess the bottom line is, think like a child.

For the new writer to comedy, writing for children is a great insight into the most basic and least complicated form of comedy. It's by no means an easy option, but it does help hone ones talent.


NETWORK AND GET WORKING ON A SCRIPT...
by Diana Moore

Do you have a local drama group in your area? Maybe they're putting on a well-known production in a village hall near you. I took my children to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It had been adapted by a local writer, who also performed in the play; gaining for himself double the credits!

But maybe they're desperate for a new script...? Now is the time to ask around, find out, start networking - and finish that script off.

I attended a theatre writing group called 'Page to Stage' which was attached to the Pegasus Theatre in Oxford. There was a 'Writer-in-Residence' for one year. We had actors come along to workshop our plays as well as guests who talked on a range of subjects from strong women characters, to the use of music for the stage. Workshops provided opportunities to explore creative ways of releasing ideas for playwriting as well as the mechanics for structuring a play. The exciting culmination of all this was that we, the writers, had our work aired during Pegasus Theatre's Festival of New Playwriting.

I wouldn't have known about Page to Stage if it hadn't have been for a friend of a friend whom I met through another local writer's group. A very sociable group run by two experienced authors - and their friendly cat who enjoyed hopping onto the lap of the first person who raised their script for a read through!

...and if I hadn't attended these playwriting sessions, I wouldn't have been up to writing a school play when I was approached by the Head Teacher of my daughter's school. And the Head Teacher wouldn't have approached me if she hadn't been made aware that I was attending a play-writing group!

Then, last year I took another course on Writing for the Theatre at Oxford Brookes University. We all had our one act plays work-shopped by actors, which proved very useful for the re-draft! Again, I met a number of new friends through this course. One lady in particular had some useful information on a local network of dramatic groups. She suggested we send our one act plays off to the Oxfordshire Drama Network who were running a playwriting competition with categories such as pantomime; plays for adults and children, and one act plays. When the results were announced, some in our group had their work commended and we all had the opportunity to put our plays forward to ODN members to be performed. You never know who's watching in the audience!

The ODN have a bi-monthly newsletter listing information on up and coming plays as well as reviews, previews and details of workshops such as 'How to develop your directing skills'. ODN membership includes operatic societies as well as drama groups.

To quote David Goldsworthy in his Chairman's Page Dec 2000/Jan 2001):

"It is a forum for free discussion and an agent for growth in dramatic activity in the area, arranging and promoting events to encourage participation of and cooperation between member groups. Those events, Drama Festivals, Pantomime Festivals, Quiz Nights, Workshops and now a Playwriting Competition, have provided extra opportunities for those interested in all aspects of theatre to widen their experience and find a circle of friends among members of participating groups."

Also, the free publicity provided by the newsletter can help to increase member groups ticket sales.

So, if you don't have a friend in the know, ask at your local library for information on dramatic societies and writers groups, or phone your local theatre to see if they have a writer's group attached.

Editor's note: In a similar vein, Slough Writers Group got together with a local theatre workshop company to produce "Six of the Best" of the plays written by the group. So there are opportunities like this around the country. If you don't find anything already running locally, you can always approach a drama group and suggest it!


NEXT ISSUE:

* The Golden Rose of Montreux Festival - what you were missing.
* Your Writing Successes - e-mail gill@bscw.co.uk, letting me know your recent achievements, by 21st May, in order to be included.