In a small village, under the shade of a mango tree, the seeds of a dream were sown. Fifty years later, those seeds have blossomed, grown and borne fruit in the shape of Rangaprabhath Children’s Theatre, which has transformed the village and put Venjaramoodu, a small agrarian belt 25 km to the north of Thiruvananthapuram, on the map of theatre. Rangaprabhath Children’s Theatre will celebrate its golden jubilee with a series of programmes that begin on October 1.
“The curtain for the extravaganza will go up with a staging of Pushpakireedam . It was the first play to be performed under the auspices of Rangaprabhath on September 19, 1970, specifically written for the group by theatre doyen G Sankara Pillai and directed by his disciple and founder of Rangaprabhath, Kochunarayana Pillai. The festivities will naturally focus on theatre and the annual theatre festival, usually held from September 27 to October 1, will be from October 1 to 6 this year,” explains KS Geetha, daughter of the founder and president of Rangaprabhath.
An old photo of Rangaprabhath before it was replaced by a building designed by Laurie Baker
The stage was set for such a children’s theatre at the culmination of a theatre camp in 1967, which saw the participation of playwrights and directors such as CN Sreekantan Nair, Kavalam Narayana Panikkar, Ramanujam and so on. It was Sankara Pillai who put forward the idea of a theatre movement for kids. Three years later, Kochunarayana Pillai, then a teacher of Malayalam at Vamanapuram Upper Primary School, staged the first play at the school and laid the foundation for a change in scene that has honed and shaped the talent of generations of youngsters in the vicinity. The theatre group, later, shifted to Alumthara, near Venjaramoodu.
“I had acted in Pushakireedam as the flower girl in 1972 when I was four. I remember plays being rehearsed and performed under the mango tree in front of our house and, later, in a shed near our residence,” says Geetha, who will be directing the same play to be staged on October 6.
She recalls that Maddalangal , a play performed in the late seventies, was staged at several venues and the money it earned was used to buy a plot for the troupe. Some of those who donned the greasepaint as children went on to make a name on the stage in different capacities and win awards for their work.
“Ashok-Sasi, both of whom were groomed at Rangaprabhath, have directed several plays for us. In fact, this year, K Sasikumar won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award. We will be felicitating him at the function on October 1, ” says Geetha.
Rangaprabhath all set for the golden jubilee celebrations
At present, the nadaka gramam at Alumthara encompasses the Rangaprabhath Children’s theatre, initially set up on 11 cents of land; Professor G Sankara Pillai Memorial Performance Space on 10 cents of land, which includes an auditorium and dormitory designed by Laurie Baker; and Rangaprabhath Bal Bhavan.
- On October 1 , a ‘Mizhavu vilambara melam’ at Venjaramoodu Junction at 5 pm by artistes of Margi will announce the start of the year-long celebrations. Homage will be paid to Kochunarayana Pillai on his death anniversary followed by the performance of Omchery NN Pillai’s 45-minute drama English Medium by actors of Rangaprabhath. The play has been directed by 24-year-old Abhishek PS.
- On October 6 , the function will be inaugurated by Finance Minister Thomas Isaac. Poet and lyricist Prabha Varma will be the chief guest.
- A song tracing the evolution of Rangaprabhath, written by Vibhu Pirappancode and choreographed by Ashok-Sasi, will be followed by the performance of Pushpakireedam .
- Anoop Shantakumar from Kothamangalam, who designed the logo of the golden jubilee celebrations, was selected after entries were called for a competition to design the logo.
- Every year, a children’s theatre festival is conducted from September 27 to October 1 and an amateur theatre festival from December 27 to January 1.
Shankara Pillai himself had written 12 plays for Rangaprabhath, all initially directed by Kochunarayana Pillai. Over the years, they have added to their repertoire plays such as Kabuliwalayum Makalum , Andhan Naya , Shatkala Govinda Marar , Vivekananda and so on.
“Our alumni are our pride and strength. Although most of them are working in different fields, they are still in touch with us. Moreover, many of those residing in and around the locality have sent their children to Rangaprabhath,” says Geetha. Her husband, S Harikrishnan, and daughter Keerthi Krishna, an academic, are also actively involved in the working of the group. At present 21 artistes are involved in the working of the group. Geetha hopes that by the end of the year, they would be able to bring out a book on Rangaprabhath and also make a mark on the national scene.
“We are confident that our directors such as Abhishek and Hareesh, who have grown up with Rangaprabhath like me, will keep the flame going,” says Geetha.
