David Wood has been called by the London Times “the national children's dramatist.” Presenting theatre for children as a separate art form, Mr. Wood here draws upon his experience as a magician, actor, director, producer, composer, and playwright, and analyzes the skills involved in entertaining and involving audiences of children everywhere. He reveals his special techniques for catching and holding a child's attention, provides a practical handbook illustrated with excerpts from his plays, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into them. He also examines the business side of children's theatre, showing exactly how a good synopsis will help to sell an idea. “The challenge,” he writes, “is to give a unique theatrical experience to an audience, many of whom will be first-time theatergoers, to involve them emotionally, to sustain their interest in a story, to inspire and excite them using theatricality, to make them laugh, to make them think, to move them, to entertain and educate them by triggering their imaginations.” This comprehensive guide written with Janet Grant is essential reading for professionals and amateurs alike and for anyone wishing to be involved in the theatre for children.