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Theatre, a tool

To Daniel A Kelin of Honolulu Theatre for Youth, the stage is a medium of exploration. Deepa H. Ramakrishnan talks to the veteran about his work with kids here

PHOTO: T. SINGARAVELOU

REACHING OUT Daniel with the children

His face turns red with excitement — excitement at being able to get across what's on his mind to a group of Tamil-speaking children. Having worked with children all his life, especially with those who don't speak his tongue, Daniel A Kelin - II's communication is not just through words but also through action and facial expressions.

"It has been by far the best language. As I teach them I' am also learning to understand the confusion that's reflected in their faces," said Daniel, director of Drama Education, Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY), who was here recently to work with school students. The HTY worked in collaboration with Aazhi Theatre Group to produce the annual children's theatre festival.

A rocky start

"In Puducherry, it was a rocky start because of language issues and also because it was difficult for girls to open up quickly. Halfway through the programme, and they were still figuring out what I was expecting from them. Gradually, they started helping each other more. For me, it was a challenge trying to determine what they couldn't understand. So I let them go and just followed them. And by the end, they were prepared and wanted to perform more," he explained.

Daniel has been working extensively with children, for whom English is not their first language. He has worked with kids who speak Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese and Marshalese for quite some time and is also writing a book about his endeavour.

"When I first started working in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean the children there did everything in their language and communicating with them was difficult. It was movement oriented, physical. For the past few years I have been working with students to whom English is their second language. I've been helping them feel comfortable speaking English in class and with friends. Besides, I've also helped them focus their energies on their studies."

Daniel has written a book on the legends and stories of the Marshal Islands and another one relating to "oral histories" from which children can base drama performances.

"It is a way to learn about their own history. In the US, we are trying to use the arts as a method to teach in class. Instead of being just performances, drama becomes a method for teaching. For example, we took the incident of the Japanese hitting the Pearl Harbour and we dissected the story into pieces on a day-to-day basis. When the children found out that they were being jailed, they showed it on their face and became emotional. It helps involve students in their studies so that they will understand it better. Theatre becomes an exploratory tool for children."

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