song from Malgudi Days attracts the children at Auto Colony. Mothers look out of their windows; the little ones peep shyly, while the older children park their tricycles and sit on the mat spread on the ground. Girls dressed brightly and in masks urge the children to watch the play they will put up. On a make-shift stage, a girl, dressed as an old lady, tells them about the story of the elephant bird. The children sit wide-eyed, as the actors in wigs and wings act out the story.
It is theatre time in Auto Colony, thanks to EuroKids that tied up with Pratham Books Champion to celebrate World Literacy Day. The celebration involved taking a story to as many children as they could.
Archana Dange head of Helen O’ Grady Drama Academy, Tamil Nadu, says, “We held story-telling and theatre sessions in orphanages and hospitals as well. There is a certain snob value to theatre. But we believe real theatre is born on the streets.”
Jayashree V. Murthy, another trainer who has been taking theatre to schools for the last 12 years, is working with students from Corporation schools. “We want to take theatre not just to the posh institutions but also to the smaller schools.” She organises Sthaayi, an inter-school theatre fest every year. This time, it featured nearly 15 schools from Coimbatore. “Some are really good. The principal in one school is a theatre person himself. So, he is extremely encouraging.”
The CBSE has made theatre one of the electives in the higher classes, says Archana. “But, parents have to encourage children to take this elective. Most are doubtful about the career opportunities. That’s why we bring theatre ambassadors from outside to tell them that, if they are good at this, they should not do something else that will bring them money.” Another problem is lack of faculty, says Archana. “Our B.Ed. courses have not been modified in the last 50 years. We don’t get the right people to train children in theatre.”
Junoon, a Mumbai-based theatre company, conducted a workshop for children in DPS School and introduced classical arts such as Kathakali and Bharatanatyam. The children also learnt puppet theatre, hand gestures, gymnastics and drums during the workshop. They rounded up the workshops with a production of their own.
“Some children were watching a theatre for the first time in their lives,” says Chitra Venkiteswaran, the headmistress of DPS. “But, they were so creative. The classrooms were a beehive of activity. They dramatised stories from the Mahabharatha , using facial expressions and instruments.”
Yellow Train Grade School sees theatre as a core subject. They have been calling theatre professionals from Karnataka, Scotland and New York to conduct workshops. The school recently presented a theatre festival where the seats were sold out! “We made sure the session was interactive. The audience sang along with the actors, as they enacted Japanese, Egyptian, South African and Indian stories. The play based on the Indian stories was choreographed and directed by the children themselves,” says Santhya Vikram, the head of Yellow Train.
All of them believe that theatre is a great tool for education and character development. Archana says, “People think drama is just about performance, but it is also about the process; using the body, losing stage fear and sharpening memory, and, more importantly, learning to play as a team member.”
Jayashree agrees. “Children socialise better and are not so conscious of their lack of proficiency in English. The principals and teachers must be dynamic and encourage students.” Jayashree is now working on a theatre adaptation of a Rabindranath Tagore play in Tamil. Working with students is not easy, she says. Teachers and principals worry about the syllabus. “Theatre is given second priority. They are worried that it eats into the children’s study time.”
Santhya says theatre will always be an integral part of their curriculum. “We have in-house drama teachers. It is a part of the English language learning process and strengthens various elements of communication. The children also get a sense of the collaborative spirit, embodied in theatre.”
After the success of Sanjna Kapoor’s workshop, DPS wants to continue its collaboration with Junoon and also start a theatre club, says Chitra. “We are so immersed in academics that we tend to forget the importance of creativity. The five-day long workshop was an eye-opener because it helped us understand our students’ true potential. We saw the naughtiest children become leaders. They also cleaned the space after the rehearsals.”
