Elaine Symons in the National's His Dark Materials. Photograph: Tristram Kenton
The Almeida has just announced its first show specifically for families: Moira Buffini's adaptation of Catherine Storr's wonderful and mysterious Marianne Dreams. It was a book that haunted my childhood and I returned to it again and again, worrying at it like a terrier with a bone. I can't wait to see how a novel which is essentially internal and psychological is transposed from page to stage. The fact that it's to be directed by Will Tuckett, who is best known as a choreographer, offers a clue.
I'm glad to see the Almeida taking children seriously, even if it is just for Christmas. But I do wonder why so much theatre for kids is adaptation rather than original work. The National has had successes with His Dark Materials and Coram Boy, and this autumn is premiering a stage version of Michael Morpurgo's Warhorse. In fact, the theatrical adaptations of Morpurgo's novels has become an industry in itself: Billy the Kid is currently at the Unicorn, Theatre Alibi had a hit with When the Whales Came, and Bristol Old Vic's Private Peaceful was a success. Kensuke's Kingdom has recently been on tour.
Adaptations can be terrific. His Dark Materials was not a patch on the books, but made my 10-year-old reach for them after she had seen it. Writer Helen Edmundson and director Melly Still's Coram Boy was a thing of astonishing beauty and theatrical invention. The National Theatre of Scotland's The Wolves in the Walls was so delicious I could have gobbled it up. And it's good to see children getting a look in at our major theatre buildings. After all, for years children have been neither seen nor heard very much in the theatre, although there has been a great deal of very good work in schools and dedicated spaces.
Times do seem to be changing. Perhaps it's the rise of a new generation of artistic directors who often have children of their own, but increasingly buildings are programming family-friendly theatre. Apart from Alan Ayckbourn, who has been writing regularly over the years for children for the Stephen Joseph in Scarborough, there is a dearth of new work for children that isn't based on novels.
Clearly the boom in children's literature is driving many of these adaptations, and directors argue that a familiar title is needed to sell shows, particularly as there is likely to be a conspicuous lack of reviews. When space gets tight in papers, it is children's work along with experimental work that drops off the reviews lists first. That is going to be slow to change, but theatres can help themselves. Why shouldn't the Royal Court and the National commission and stage original work for children in their main spaces? By doing so, they would be making an investment in the audiences of tomorrow.
The irony is that British theatre is genuinely leading the world in its work with young children and babies. Companies such as Oily Cart and Theatre-rites, who mostly work with the under-sixes, are creating astonishing shows for the very young and can lay claim to being two of the few genuinely experimental companies working in Britain today. Long before immersive, one-to-one and site-specific theatre became fashionable, these companies were leading the way and pushing the boundaries of theatre.
I'd like the vision applied by these companies to work for older children. Most of all, I'd like to see established writers and newcomers being encouraged to write plays and work collaboratively with companies, creating a body of work that demonstrates to children that a trip to the theatre isn't just for Christmas or to see a live action version of your favourite novel.
