It is globally practiced, takes many forms, both traditional and non-traditional, and explores a wide variety of themes ranging from fairy tales to parental abuse.
[2] Many writers and production companies have started catering specifically to TYA audiences, causing a continuous increase in theatrical material 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.
Some include early TYA playwright Constance Mackay, the Chicago company The Junior League, New York producer Clare Tree Major, The Children’s Theatre of Evanston, and many others.
At the present, most TYA productions in children’s companies around the country count on casts of professional adult actors to portray all roles.
[4] 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.
[5] Recent work has explored themes that include parental abuse (e.g. An Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle), divorce (e.g.