How to Select Theater for Children During the Holidays

During the holiday season, there are usually lots of theatrical productions to choose from, many of them targeted at a young audience. Here are some pointers to help you select the holiday productions that are right for your family.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Theater Tickets

1. Consider your family's belief system and traditions when choosing holiday theater programs for children to attend. Some traditional holiday productions, like the 'Nutcracker' ballet, are fairly secular, while others have a distinctly religious theme or tone.
2. Look for community productions, as well as professional shows. Many schools, churches and community centers offer holiday dramatic productions ' look at your newspaper's 'community events' section for ideas, as well as the entertainment section.
3. Consider the venue where the production is being presented and the advertisements for the production itself. Will the theater be welcoming and comfortable for young children? Is the show directly targeted at a young audience or is it more suitable for teens and adults?
4. Keep in mind that a significant discount on children's tickets is a good sign as opposed to tickets set at a high price to discourage children from attending.
5. Look for something that is appropriate for your child's age range and interests. If the posters or advertisements for the show don't make the age range clear enough, telephone the theater or production company and ask them.
6. Find out how long the production is, and consider your child's attention span. While some children will happily sit still in a theater for a couple of hours, others will become restless after a few minutes, especially during the stressful, exciting holiday season.
7. Ask some questions about the content of the show ' you can ask the production company, or just chat with other parents who have taken their children to see it.
8. Discuss the various opportunities with your child, he may be more likely to enjoy a production if he feels that he selected it himself.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't worry if your child isn't completely quiet at a performance ' few young children are and most children's theater is designed with this fact in mind. Some holiday productions actively encourage audience participation, which helps to keep children involved and focused on the action.
• If your child expresses an interest in performing after he attends a production, take him seriously. But do wait until the holiday season is over and the glamour of the production has worn off, before signing him up for acting or dancing classes.
• Some children's theater, like some children's movies or books, may contain elements that are frightening to younger or more sensitive children. A scary moment or two doesn't mean your child can't attend the show at all ' it just means you need to be prepared to deal with it when it comes up.
• If you think you may have to leave a production partway through, try to sit near the back, and on an aisle, so you can leave without disrupting the other audience members.

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