By Luke Voogt
For former Play School host Jay Laga’aia it takes a special breed to perform for children.
“Just because you do children’s television doesn’t mean you can’t make it in the adult world,” he said, ahead of his Geelong concert next week.
“If you can communicate to a three-year-old, you can communicate to a 30-year-old but not the other way around.”
After working on Play School for 16 years Laga’aia now has his own show, Jay’s Jungle (7TWO), which mixes “fun with science”.
“We get to look at questions like where does the sun go at night, or why are leaves green,” he said.
“It was very much born out of playschool. For more me it’s always a compliment when people mention it in the same vein.”
Children’s television can be relentless, said Laga’aia. The commercial networks have to include it, but don’t leave much of a budget.
“If you can make magic from the smell of an oily rag than you’re already ahead of yourself.”
Laga’aia remembered his first audition for the iconic Play School, when he was acting in Channel Nine drama Water Rats.
He simply acted as he would in front of his eight children and turned out to be a natural.
“They looked at me as if I had just reinvented the wheel,” he said.
“I looked at them a bit confused and thought this is just what I do at home. Choose a job you enjoy and you’ll never work a day in you’re a life.”
Laga’aia said he loved finding out he made a difference, like when he met a 22-year-old med student who immigrated to Australia as a child.
“He said ‘we didn’t speak any English and that’s how my mum and I learnt to speak’ – through the songs on Play School.”
An accomplished onstage and television actor, Laga’aia said: “Parents around this country are all great performers and storytellers in their own right.”
“If you want your children to become fantastic adults you have to invest in them early.”
Laga’aia will perform a concert based on Jay’s Jungle at the Belmont Civic Centre on 7 September. For information visit pvevents.com.au
