For Thai kids, the school break is almost over. For my niece, it means that she will no longer have to glue herself to the Cartoon Channel all day while her parents are at work.

For the two Thai kids who annoyed viewers at SF Cinema Emporium last Monday, it means no more trips with their parents to see films like "The Departed", an R-rated movie filled with violence and four-letter words.

However, hundreds of English-speaking kids had a special treat last weekend when they watched Caravan Theatre's adaptation of Arnold Lobel's "The Adventures of Frog and Toad".

Covering a year in the life of these two best friends, there were eight short scenes, two in each season beginning with winter and moving on through spring, summer and autumn.

In one touching scene, Frog writes a letter to Toad after the latter complained that his mailbox was always empty. In another, Frog gives Toad seeds to grow a garden of his own after Toad liked what he saw in Frog's backyard. Such great friends!

Interestingly, neither the play nor the books wear moral lessons on their sleeves. This food for thought wasn't candy-coated like Disney cartoons.

But, perhaps on the Skytrain ride home, some adults might have found time to discuss the play's messages with their kids, giving them a chance to digest them. Later, very likely, many kids will want to read more about Frog and Toad and find their real-life counterparts.

While the venue - the Dr Thavorn Phornprapha Auditorium on the fifth floor of Siam Motors Building on Rama I Road - is relatively new for Bangkok theatre audiences, the turn-out was impressive with more than 60 per cent of the seats filled at each of the four shows.

Kathy France, who wrote, directed, produced and acted for the play, held the young audience's attention throughout the 55-minute show with her stylised portrayal of Toad. The sound of kids' laughter was a constant and smiles were ever present.

France worked well with her acting companion Bruce Hancock, as Frog. The stories were spontaneous and credible, looking and sounding as if the actors themselves had written them. Versatile musician Seri Gandhi helped enhance the atmosphere, punctuating events with a variety of instruments.

Among the show's very few defects were the transitions between scenes. The lights were dim for too long while the actors changed their costumes and the stage crew reset the props.

The curtain fell for the final time at this children's show last Sunday, so now we only have two animated movies to take them to. This underlines just how scarce artistic and cultural activities for kids are in this country.

Before the show, The Nation talked with Kathy France about this problem:

"Many things can happen to support the development of children's theatre in Thailand," says France. "Drama departments in universities need to be granted the resources, money and teachers, to develop training programmes in children's theatre. You need a core of drama graduates experienced in teaching and developing children's theatre. These specialists can then find work in established theatre companies and language schools, which already run summer camps in acting for children.

"Then the Thai schools need to be granted the money to hire the children's drama practitioners to come in and do workshops. School children need to be trained to appreciate creativity and live theatre. Then, theatre companies need to put on plays for the children."

Though these plans are feasible, there are foreseeable obstacles. "Where the money comes from for this is anyone's guess," says France.

"You need good fundraisers who go out and get support from the government or corporate sponsors. Hopefully, it all comes together in quality entertainment for children, who are ready and willing to sit through live theatre, as opposed to turning on the television or going shopping. Children love a good story, they just need the opportunity to read good stories in books, and see good stories on stage, and then they, and their parents, will be hooked on theatre."

With a delightful family entertainment like "The Adventures of Frog and Toad", Caravan Theatre is showing the way. Kathy France and her Caravan Theatre now offer acting workshops for children - e-mail kathyfrance@hotmail.com for more details.

The next treat on offer for English-language theatre fans is Bangkok Community Theatre's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" at the British Club on Silom Soi 18. Note that evening shows for November 8 to 11 are completely sold out. Still available are matinee shows (Bt600, no lunch) on November 11 and 12. Two evening performances on November 13 and 14 have just been added. Call (086) 708 2738 or visit www.bct-th.org www.bct-th.org.

Pawit Mahasarinand

The Nat ion

The writer can be reached at Pawit.M@chula.ac.th.