Where the (small) world's a stage (From Your Local Guardian)

Where the (small) world's a stage

9:36am Thursday 5th June 2008 in

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Judy Garland was 16 when she gave eloquent expression to the dreams and fears of childhood in the classic film The Wizard of Oz. Shirley Temple was even greener when she won an honorary Oscar at five.

But both seem positively wizened next to the batch of fresh-faced students turning out for the latest drama workshops in Sutton.

The Drama Buds group is taking cultural dumbing down to its logical conclusion by running classes for toddlers aged between six months and four.

The child's play, which began at the Secombe Theatre over the May half-term, follows a nationwide boom in baby theatre.

"To crittics, the classes will be seen as another example of pushy middl-class parents hothousing their progeny when they are barely out of the cot. But Becca insists the stories, drama and plays are simply a fun way of learning about the world."

Touring shows performed by the Oily Cart Theatre Company recently sold out across the UK.

Becca Wall, a trained actress and dancer with two young children in Carshalton, is taking tiny steps to recreating that same success here.

Her pupils may not all be able to walk, speak or even sit still, but she is convinced they can be genuinely engaged.

She says: "Babies and toddlers will always surprise us. Just think about how a child grows, develops, learns and explores in their first two years.

"Their development in the first few years is more rapid than at any other point in their lives.

"We cannot underestimate the potential of babies and young children."

The under-fives are probably not quite ready to appreciate Titus Andronicus or the absurdist works of Ionescu.

And they are unlikely to generate many thunderous rounds of applause. But they can easily become immersed in the imaginary world.

Becca stimulates children's senses with colourful props, inspiring music and animated movement during her storytelling workshops.

As the children cooperate to create the world of a story, their concentration and communication skills are apparently boosted.

Becca says: "Toddlers and young children instinctively use their imaginations when they play.

"We aim to connect with our young audience by using their love of the make-believe to create and explore new and exciting worlds, their characters and sounds.

"Of course, a room full of two- and three-year-olds is never going to be predictable. But once the children have been attending a while they respond well to the structure of the workshops and we see their listening and concentration improve.

To critics, the classes will be seen - as with Suzuki violin lessons or extra Mandarin tuition - as another example of pushy middle-class parents hothousing their progeny when they are barely out of the cot. While adults go to the theatre hoping to be entertained children, it seems, must be educated.

So is there a danger the toddlers are being pushed too young, that they could just end up as regimented or damaged prodigies? Becca insists not because the stories, drama and plays are simply a fun way of learning about the world.

"They are about the children enjoying themselves, being creative and growing at their own pace.We do not push the children. Our workshops are not about creating child stars," she says.

"Instead, they bring their fantastic imaginations, inventive ways of communicating and then their love of discovering and exploring.

"But above all, they are so unpredictable. No two workshops are ever the same. I am always learning and being kept on my toes by the little ones."

Feedback from mothers has certainly been impressive.

One, Michelle, has already noticed a difference in her two-year-old son Daniel since he attended Drama Buds.

"He has been on many adventures and he loves every minute of it and doesn't stop talking about it all week.

"Now our sofa at home has become a pirate ship," she said.

Equally effusive is music and drama teacher Helen, the mother of Ben aged three and Isabelle, one.

"Drama Buds workshops are very different to the other pre-school classes on offer. I have never experienced anything else really like it," she says.

"The workshops completely capture the children's imaginations, and parents are very actively involved, which can be lots of Fun.

But be warned: leave your high heels at home."

Local people are still lagging some way behind their continental counterparts in discovering the benefits of pre-narrative baby theatre.

Since the early 1990s parents in France, Belgium and Denmark have been seeking more cultural ways to entertain the preschool market.

Their tolerance threshold for clowns, magicians and balloon modellers is perhaps lower than in Britain.

Becca says: "I tried to get tickets to take my two daughters - both aged under two at the time - to see Oily Cart but it was sold out at the time, so the demand is clearly there now.

"Taking babies and toddlers to an age-appropriate play is a fantastic experience.

"You will be amazed at how their imagination and concentration is captured by the performance. Will it turn into a lifelong love of the theatre for them? Who knows. I guess we will have to wait 70 years to find out."

• Register your interest in future workshops by calling 020 8669 2355 or emailing dramabuds@gmail.com.