Glow Worm Club, a children’s library and activity centre in Anna Nagar is preparing to present Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem The Song of Hiawatha in a new light. Trained by professionals, these children will not only act on stage but also handle backstage activities. For this production, Glow Worm Club is collaborating with Eloquens run by Sandhya Ruban and Andrea Jacob’s Integrated Fitness. The play will include original scores by the students of Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music. Though the final show is scheduled for January 24 at Music Theatre, the auditions are on for kids aged between 10 and 16, from October 11 onwards.
What makes the show different is that it will be completely handled by the children themselves. “What usually happens is that while children handle the stage, adults take care of all the backstage activities. Here, we give the children a chance to explore their talents. They will get a chance to understand technical nuances such as sound, lighting and background score,” says Sandhya Ruban, a dentist by profession, who is also a professional storyteller. She played a major role in developing the script for the kids. “We have kept the essence of the poetry but toned out certain bits,” she adds.
The poem is about a Native American hero and the kids will be trained to narrate it through effective movements. Andrea Jacob, a dancer, who has been working with children for a long time, is choreographing the play. “We are not using props but the children themselves will be the wave and the other elements of nature to tell the story effectively,” says Andrea.
Apart from the preparations every Saturday from 2.30 to 4.30, they have planned field trips for the children to get to connect with nature. “We don’t do copy-paste work, where the participants have to go by the book. We encourage improvisation. We have explained the poem to them in a way they understand and they are free to make changes on the stage. Even when it comes to music, we don’t want to use Hollywood or Bollywood scores. We want them to think original, thus the idea of fresh music,” says Shweta Nanawati, who started Glow Worm Club five years ago.
She says the idea behind starting a library-cum-activity-centre was to involve kids in a range of activities that will help in the development of their personalities. Anyone, from toddlers to 13-year olds, can come here and spend time. The activities offered include classes on phonics, Hindi and I-Maths.
For auditions and other details, call 9840506041
