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GIVING A VOICE TO OUR CHILDREN

By Wendy Ponte

“Children are not respected in this country,” says Janine Nina Trevens, Artistic Director of TADA!, one of New York's leading theater companies for children.

This bold statement was her response to a query about whether children's theater companies receive the same kind of respect in her industry as adult theater companies. She says they don't-but that is just a symptom of a larger attitude toward children. "We give respect to kids if they do something amazing like play the violin at age three or are incredible athletes," she says. "We expect them to grow up into adults who can be respected, but we don't treat them that way as kids. So how can they grow up to be who we want them to be?"

Trevens knows what she is talking about-and not only because of her own daily exposure to New York City kids, including many who come from low income and broken families.

“I am a survivor,” she says. And she has survived a lot: a difficult childhood and two bouts with Hodgkins disease and chemotherapy. Then in March, 1996, Trevens survived a fire which destroyed almost everything in her Hoboken apartment . One result of that experience was frightening panic attacks. “I would feel like I wasn't in my own body,” she says. “The room would begin to look too narrow.” Her heart would begin to beat very quickly, her throat would tighten up and she would feel nauseated.

Although the post traumatic stress response has been almost completely eliminated after months of acupuncture treatments and therapy, Trevens worries that the feeling of well-being the treatments give her is not to be trusted. It's hard to relax and allow good health-both physical and emotional-to become a real part of her life. Trevens feels this is something she did not learn to do as a child and is trying to learn now.

That kind of emotional well-being is best learned early, according to Trevens, and she feels real empathy for the children she works with. When Trevens asks troubled children if they have anyone they can talk to at school, they tell her “no.” The teachers are too busy, the guidance counselors seem far away. “School should be about more than just learning academics.” Children are not taught how to express themselves emotionally in ways that work for them. They are expected to leave their personal problems at home.

“Children need help sorting out the truth about their lives,” Trevens says. "Often families alone can't do that for them." TADA! is one place kids can go where they will be respected and listened to while learning to cooperate and perform. They do this by rehearsing original works commissioned by TADA! and participating as a professional production unfolds. The theater's works include experienced, professional choreographers, music directors and designers.

Trevens and her staff fight a daily battle to get the rest of the world to listen to the children, too. Most of the major theater grants in this country are specifically not available to children's theater companies. Many funders want to support companies that do new works, especially new musicals. Although TADA! produces only new works, most of them musicals, they are routinely passed over by the major grant givers.

Fighting for support and respect for the sake of her theater company is a big part of how Trevens is learning the lessons of strength she missed out on as a child. “Growing up is hard any way you look at it,”. she says. “I'm trying to give children a voice. By learning to work as a group and respect each other, they learn to respect themselves. Hopefully they will pass this on to their own children. Then this will be the start of a new circle.”

In the meantime Nina Trevens is pretty busy working on her own new circle. Last July she and her husband were blessed with the birth of Ceanna, a beautiful 7 pound, 3 ounce baby girl.

Wendy Ponte and Nina Trevens co-hosted the New York forum for the Child-Friendly Initiative in November, 1999.