William Shakespeare, in his play As You Like It , wrote “All the world’s a stage.” The great dramatist might have been referring to the drama of life in general, but it wouldn’t hurt to take his words more literally
Now in its seventh year, The Performing Arts Club at the Gillo Theatre Repertory believes in starting participants off young. Their year-long drama workshop for the 8 to 11 age-group is focussed on theatre appreciation.
The repertory aims to unearth the inner drama queens and kings in children by giving them an opportunity to interact with seasoned actors, musicians, dancers and designers.
Tryst with theatreStarted by Shaili Sathyu, the repertory works exclusively in theatre for young audiences. It involves content development, performance, training and setting-up curriculums in schools for literary and visual performing arts.
Sathyu’s tryst with theatre began young too. Her parents, M.S. Sathyu and Shama Zaidi, were a part of the Indian People’s Theatre Association, one of the most dynamic performing art movements in India, which emerged in the 1940s and 1950s.
Tool for self-growthAlthough she is a trained architect, after interacting with kids during a visit to Lakimpur village on the outskirts of Lucknow, Sathyu decided to merge her passion for children and theatre. She gave up her job and in 2010 formed the repertory to create plays for children and make them well-versed with the art form.
Sathyu says, “We do not believe in sharing theatre space with children for entertainment’s sake. They like a space where they can be themselves, a space where judgement is left out. They like to be challenged and treated as equals with adults.”
The Club uses theatre to create an environment for self-growth and self-expression, helping children both explore their inner selves and interact with the outer world. The workshop aims to achieve this through games and exercises to develop diction, experiments with mime and movement, sessions in poetry appreciation, story-telling, creative writing, puppetry, mask-making, stage design, and performing a play for children.
A minimum of 16 participants will be trained in 18 sessions over eight to nine months. Artists from a variety of disciplines will join in for demonstrations and short performances and a short play will be staged at the end of the workshop.
Previous batches have staged Safdar Hashmi’s Girgit and devised and performed a piece on the city of Mumbai.
Holistic developmentSathyu says, “Theatre is a space to be with people, to share stories, to make friends, and to experience the world together.”
Sathyu’s team is a member of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People, India, and a partner with Junoon (A Stage for Theatre). It has put up over 14 productions for children around the country, including plays in Hindi, English, Bengali, Urdu, and Marathi, and stories like Mister Jeejeebhoy and the Birds , Catch That Crocodile! , Wagabond , Kyun-Kyun Ladki , and Taoos Chaman Ki Myna .
Sathyu says that while watching performances enhances a child’s outlook, active participation in a play helps in holistic development. “It can help make an impression on your sensibilities, and how you view yourself and the others, develop empathy for people, animals and everything around you,”
The author is a freelance writer
The workshop begins August 20, sessions on 2nd and 4th Saturdays, 4 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. Last date for registration: August 15. For details visit: gillogilehri.blogspot.in/p/saturday- drama-club.html
