A Brief Discussion On The Characterization Of Adult Actors In Musicals With Child Leads

In recent years,musicals such as "Matilda","Finding Neverland",and "The School Of Rock" have featured child actors as leading roles on Broadway and West End stages.The American and British musical industries have a profound impact on the future development of the musical theatre market.In musicals with child leads,adult actors also contribute a vital role.Combined,all of the actors synchronize and mold the performance in an inseparable way.In 2015,the writer of this paper directed and performed the musical "Annie" and will utilize this drama as an example to explore further.The main body of this paper is divided into three chapters,with the first chapter outlining the implication of child-lead musical development and the role of the adult actor in this type of musical.The second chapter compares and contrasts the adolescent character traits in general musicals and in musicals with child leads.Also,the chapter discusses the obstacles adult actors may face in the rehearsal process,and additionally,solutions for those difficulties.In the third chapter,the topic focuses on harnessing child-themed musicals,mainly through rehearsal,for the betterment of children’s extracurricular education and for the development of future Chinese original musical works.Through analyzing the creations of m characters in "Annie",combined with the experiences and recollections from rehearsals,this paper uncovers the role of adult actors in child-lead musicals,and furthermore,how these characters are created for the stage.