Legendary storyteller Hans Christian Andersen said children deserved to be treated as full human beings, and that's what the Danish National Children's Theater does in presenting Andersen's tales and other intriguing works.

Children's stories need not be silly and childish, said the great Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Children need and deserve to be taken seriously and treated as full human beings, so stories and plays for them should be entertaining, artistic and meaningful - as well as easy to understand.

Danish children's theater ensembles agree and take his advice to heart in their presentations of his stories and their own works Monday through Wednesday in the city. Shanghai is the second stop in their two-week China tour.

The program will include not only plays but also seminars, workshops and lectures on meaningful children's theater and how to fund it.

One of the programs is a dance-theater piece Tolo on His Way presented by the Danish National Ensemble for Children's Theater.

It is about Tolo's conflict between his pedestrian but secure everyday life and his dream about experiencing something new. A dancer, two musicians and a teddy bear are part of this drama that stresses the universality of freedom and security.

Another play, The Fly, features two mimes in a poetic, comic performance to classical music. They are two lonely people searching for happiness - they finally find each other.

In Theater Batida's black-humored show Grande Finale, nine very musical actors invite people to a wedding. It should have been a wonderful beginning of a new life together but turns into a sometimes heart-rending farce.

Organizers will host workshops for an artistic dialogue between Chinese and Danish practitioners in childrens' theater. Chinese student actors, dancers, musicians and stage directors will have improvised exercises with three Danish professionals in children's theater.

"Danish performing arts, particular children theater, have a world reputation for high artistry," says Marina Guo, general manager of Shanghai Sunspirit Development Co Ltd, an organizer of the festival.

"This festival will plant artistic seeds between China and Denmark for better understanding and further collaboration. Danish artists can also be inspired by their cultural experiences in China to develop new artworks."

As Andersen did in his day, these modern children's theater ensembles consider children as human beings - beings that need and deserve to be taken seriously. Performances are intended to be fun, entertaining and artistic.

In China, however, many children's theater productions lack diversity in their repertoire and presentation. They often use the traditional "storyteller" technique, which provides limited room for children to use their imagination. Many also are short of funds and fresh talents.

To help ease these problems and share experience with local artists and producers, artistic directors from ASSITEJ Denmark (the Danish center of the international organization of theater for children and young people) and the Danish Arts Agency will give a seminar on Danish Children's Theater.

It will look at the choices of formats and artistic expressions in relation to age groups and situations. It will discuss the funding system in which models of co-funding on national and local level have been developed to encourage a sustainable and healthy market for children's theater.

After Shanghai, the theater festival will travel to Hefei in Anhui Province and Xi'an in Shaanxi Province.

According to Danish performing artists, today more than 100 professional children's theater companies are constantly touring and performing in Denmark, a small country of only 5.5 million people. Around 2,000 performances are staged annually.

"During the last five years, more than 1,300 Danish shows have been presented in more than 40 countries and regions," says Peter Manscher, an official with ASSITEJ Denmark. "We hope we can exchange ideas and experiences in acting methods and share views and conditions for financial support of culture for children."
 
(Shanghai Daily May 24, 2007)