Designing the socialisation process of the child in the texts of Turkish children's theatre

Socialization is the individual's construction of identity by adopting the rules, ethics and attitudes of society. When the child undergoing self-construction begins to learn societal norms via art, there are a growing number of certain matters children's theatre practitioners must pay attention to. A rigorous endeavour must be carried out on the potential of the target audience with aesthetic methods, paying attention to child psychology and pedagogy. Because the child's psychosocial development is different to that of any given adult. Children approach a work of art with their own perception, experience and problem solving abilities. The child is not a passive receiver, a vehicle to ensure the continuity of societal norms, but an individual who must take a role in making a change to the current problem. Children's theatre play texts are sometimes overshadowed by didactic intentions, and sometimes transcend these intentions to succeed in reaching its target audience using the right methods. In the children's plays of the past -before the 2000s- practices of perspectives identical to that of adults can be noticed. The feelings, thoughts and sensory processes of the child are neglected. In the recent texts of children's plays, although matters such as gender, ethical rules etc. sometimes escape the attention they deserve, it can be observed that they do set out on a child centred perspective.