She looks through eyes of a child

Press, 12 November 1977, Page 13

She looks through eyes of a child

Behind a rather untidy desk in a small Dunedin office sits a woman who has a good deal of influence on New Zealand’s pre-school population. She is Kathryn De Nave, the producer of "Playschool,” a programme designed for toddlers. She is a woman who would like to run a circus of clowna, acrobats, trapeze artists and jugglers; work with the Italian film director, Federico Fellini, and study the complexities of master illusionist, Houdini. She believes that to produce a children’s programme, the producer must be able to see the world through a child’s eyes. Unblinkingly stating that a young child is 10 times more intelligent and creative than an adult, she says she feels that development in a child from birth to two years is extraordinary.

“They learn to talk, express themselves, and develop tremendous powers of concentration, and memory.” she says

She is well aware of television’s influence and dangers.

“A martial arts programme was recently shown to two groups of three to five-year-old children, and by a series of tests and followups it was proven that most of these children could not only remember, but actually demonstrate, a lot of the fighting techniques executed in the film.”

“Playschool” uses virtually every facet of television presentation, (mime, dance, slides, film, acting and props). But although presenting two hours and a naif of pre-school entertainment each week, the programme works within a slim budget. Kathryn De Nave summed up the “Playschool” team’s dedication by saying: “We’re the pale skinny ones on the beach, collecting shells and pebbles just in case they come in useful for the programme.” She is a feminist, but does not let her personal philosophy influence the subject matter in the programme. “If a boy wants to climb a tree — great. And if a girl wants to climb a tree, that’s great too. We don’t rigidly separate our audience into ‘pink and blue’ — any child is allowed to do anything.” One of three women TVI producers, Kathryn De Nave believes that it would be easier if she were male. “If I do something unsuccessfully, the comment can often be, ‘Well, what do you expect; she’s only a woman’. Seldom do we hear ‘Well . . what do you expect, he’s only a man’.”

Each programme of “Playschool” takes between 80 and 100 man hours to produce, and the 13 people involved in the production come under Kathryn De Nave’s supervision. She realises that these people have to feel involved in the production if enthusiasm is to be maintained. News, current affairs and children’s programmes are the three most important parts of television, she says* adding that “Playschool” is probably one of the trickiest programmes to produce. "You can make certain assumptions about your audience when working on a

play or a documentary, buti the only assumption I can make is that my audience is between two and five years old — and even that age range seems to widen every day,” she says. Nothing is taken for granted by the "Playschool” presenters “You can join in if you’d like” is the catchphrase.

Contrary to popular opinion, ’Playschool’ is a complex programme. The presenters do not ad-lib their way through 28 minutes of fun and games. The entire programme is scripted so that each word and phrase means exactly what it says, and each episode is thoroughly rehearsed. “If a programme looks effortless, I’m pleased, and a lot of people are just beginning to realise that in order for a programme to look casual and spontaneous, a lot of hard work and technical know-how is necessary,” Ms De Nave says. She prefers' to keep a “low profile” as producer, and is happiest when initiating new ideas and presentation techniques and seeing them blossom into effective and successful programmes.

But some people are definitely “in profile” — these are the presenters, men and women who frolic around gaily decorated sets with cuddly toys and building blocks, and the ones who bring Kathryn’s ideas to life.

Laugharne Stockham and Ray Edkins, the regular presenters on “Playschool," find that they are not generally regarded as professionals by the public. “People think that’s all we can do,” says Laugharne. Stockham. “But working on ‘Playschool’ calls for wideranging talents." Although hundreds of budding "presenters” knock on the “Playschool” door each year in search of work, few are competent in mime, dance, and singing and also able to reach children. Ray Edkins, a Palmerston North-based free-lance actor, has appeared in several overseas period dramas but finds that being a presenter is just as emotionally and physically demanding.

Laugharne Stockham, who is the mother of two young children, specialises in storytelling. Ray Edkins has tab ent as a singer. Most presenters have their particular forte, and these are fully exploited.