Railway Children’s classic themes reach new generation

Acclaimed South African theatre director Alan Swerdlow jumped at the chance to direct The Railway Children for the National Children’s Theatre (NCT) because it was a story he loved as a child.

“I read this book when I was younger,” said Swerdlow, “so when the NCT approached me to direct this play, I read it, liked it, and instantly said yes.”

Having directed for more than 30 years, he has enjoyed working on this fan favourite, on at the NCT in Parktown, Johannesburg, until 5 July.

The Railway Children, a classic children’s novel written by Edith Nesbit and published originally in 1906, tells of the adventures of three siblings, Roberta (Bobbie); Peter; and Phyllis, who move with their mother from London to a cottage in the country near a railway line after their father is wrongfully imprisoned. The tale involves the children, their time spent along the railway line, and the friends they make there.

Swerdlow said that although the story is about children and performed at the children’s theatre, “I’m not actually working with children in this production. Since it’s a fully professional show, we’re working with trained adult actors. The adaptation we’re using based on the original novel was written with the expectation that adults would play the roles of the children.”

He is working with adults, he said, “largely because the emotional journeys the three young characters go through are quite complex. To portray that depth convincingly, we need performers with the skill and life experience to bring it to life.”

Although the original story is set in the United Kingdom with the family from London, the location in the NCT rendition is unspecific. “They don’t talk about London, they talk about the city.” Because of this, Swerdlow said, “I asked the entire company to use the accents that they find easiest. One of the actors is playing his characters with a Nigerian accent. Other people are using their local South African accents, so it’s non-specific.”

Swerdlow said he was a fan of this play particularly because of the lessons and narratives it portrays.

“A lot of her [Nesbit’s] ideas are about things like equality for women. There’s a strong message in the play that women are on the same level as men, and nobody should even begin to dispute that. Her themes are extraordinarily pertinent to today.”

Swerdlow said he was happy to be working at the NCT because he believed it was such an important part of the cultural life of Johannesburg. “It’s vital for building future audiences and enriching young people’s lives by offering them the joy and experience of theatre, helping them to understand the world, and find a means of expression.”

He believes that because youth are future audiences and actors, creating this theatre demographic will ultimately improve theatre in the future. “Every city should have a youth theatre to provide these crucial benefits and lessons learned from good books, plays, and movies,” Swerdlow said.

Even though the actors are adults, this play still caters to a younger audience. “Our target age group is between eight and 14, but it can be enjoyed by everyone,” Swerdlow said. The play has just completed a short season at RedFest at Redhill School in Sandton. “The adult response was fantastic,” he said. “I was surprised by how many adults came because they loved the book when they were children, so it truly is a family show.”

Swerdlow said that except for one of the actors, the cast is made up of people he has never worked with before. Casting was done through open audition. “I didn’t cast people beforehand whom I knew would be suitable. I saw the actors we selected for the first time when they came to audition, and I thought they were impressive and right for the roles that they were auditioning for.”

• The Railway Children is at the National Children’s Theatre from 18 June to 5 July.