On a sunny Wednesday morning, 32 young theatre enthusiasts moved around Bharath Bhavan’s open auditorium donning roles and delivering dialogues with panache as the curtain went up on ‘Bharatham,’ a theatre workshop for schoolchildren organised by the State-run cultural centre.
Veteran playwright Kavalam Narayana Panicker interacted with the children on the inaugural day.
Speaking on the five important aspects of acting, he had the children demonstrate how apt body language coupled with facial expression was essential to breathe life into a character.
Minister for Culture K.C. Joseph inaugurated the camp. Public Relations director Rani George and workshop director Prasanth Narayan spoke.
“We are not dreaming of turning these children into acting maestros overnight. Our aim is to provide them an opportunity to introspect, discover their strong and weak points, inculcate team spirit in them and, ultimately, better themselves as individuals,” S.S. Sharan, chief instructor of the camp, said.
The workshop, organised in collaboration with ‘Thiruvarang,’ has roped in numerous celebrities from various walks of life such as actor M.R. Gopakumar, K.R. Damodaran, Samad Mankada, and Marimayam Sreekumar to spend time with the children.
“I believe that all children are more or less equally talented. It is by making use of such diverse opportunities that they realise and develop their skills,” Mr. Narayan said.
The five-day workshop will conclude on the Sunday, with a group performance by the participants.
Sruthi Ashok
