No Kidding!

Scene from I Love Fable. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I told the story to my daughter after I finished the script. Don't underestimate children. They can make their own judgment about a drama," says He.

Since graduating from the Central Academy of Drama and beginning his career at the China National Theater for Children in 2004, He says that what he likes most about producing plays for young people is that "the children give you the most direct and frank responses to your works. They come to the show not for any actors but just for the sake of the story and the characters".

He also points out that, unlike his generation, today's children are exposed to many entertainment forms, such as films and video games, and that poses a challenge to creators of children's dramas.

Liao Xianghong, director of the children's play The Flying Peter Pan, says: "In the past, flawless heroes were the center of children plays. But now, we want to present characters, who not only have virtue but also make mistakes." Liao's play also premiered at the theater in December and will run through Jan 18.

The play was adapted from the story of a mischievous boy, Peter Pan, who can fly and never grow up－a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J M Barrie.

"Peter Pan is brave and positive but he also feels scared about growing up. He learns to cope with his problems by making friends. People in the audience share his emotions, which make them connected with the play," says Liao.

Zhao Yongbin, a 52-year-old director, agrees: "You have to first understand what children want and what make gets them excited." He directs a show for children, titled I Love Fable, to be staged on Feb 7 and 8 at Poly Theater in Beijing.

Premiering last June, the ongoing drama invites on stage seven TV hosts of children's shows from CCTV, including the veteran TV host Ju Ping, whose show was among the first generation of China's children programs.

Zhao, who graduated from the musical department of the Central Academy of Drama and was an actor in Japan's established Shiki Theatre Company, says it was the first time for him to direct a children's show. He used his experience of directing musicals to make the show interactive with each audience.

"I learned a lot from those seasoned TV hosts, who understand children. The show is much more like playing games with the audiences," says Zhao, who is now teaching at the academy where he once studied.

The experience also reminded him of the musical Cat Who Wishes to Be a Man, in which he performed along with his classmates of Central Academy of Drama in 1995. Zhao played the leading role, the cat, and it was his first experience of acting in a fairy tale. That kindled a desire to direct more musicals for children, which feature child actors.

If you go

I Love Fable

7:30 pm, Feb 7-8. Poly Theater, Poly Plaza, 14 Dongzhimennan Dajie (Street), Dongcheng district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.

The Flying Peter Pan

3 pm and 7:15 pm, Jan 17; 3 pm, Jan 18. China National Theater for Children, 64 Dong'anmen Dajie (Street), Dongcheng district, Beijing. 400-101-6161.

Chinese Idiom Tales (adapted from four idioms including Lan Yu Chong Shu)

10 am, Jan 17-18. China National Theater for Children, 64 Dong'anmen Dajie (Street), Dongcheng district, Beijing. 400-101-6161.