Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Role of theatre stressed

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEPT. 12. The best director of the children's theatre is the one who can identify himself with the children and can create plays based on their enthusiastic activities. He should be an expert in various dimensions of the theatre and should have a sound knowledge about nature and social aspects too.

In a paper on `Towards a new drama' presented at the young writers' conference, `New Voices', organised by the Kendra Sahitya Akademi here today, Velu Saravanan of Aazhi Children's Theatre Group said that the director should adapt himself to the situation in a classroom and motivate the children to act. Only such a man can direct a children's play. Such a director can be found in some teachers and also in someone who loves children. He can be trained in theatre arts and made to evolve as a good director, Dr. Saravanan said.

Dramatic skills

Children expect much more than formal education like reading, writing and homework from school. They come to school with a quest for innovation and also to meet one another. To satisfy their urges, the teacher should be talented and should put in great efforts too. One can sense the dramatic skills in a teacher by watching the expression and body language while teaching. He can create the feel of an ocean or a mountain through his body movements and such talents qualify a teacher, Dr. Saravanan said.

If a teacher gets trained in the basics of acting and other aspects of the theatre, he can easily mingle with the children. A classroom can be made livelier by adopting the methodologies of theatre, he said.

Theatre acts as a medium to train children in speech and language. Costumes, make-up, stage arrangements and lighting are important components in children's theatre too. Colourful make-up, masks, puppets, toys and such other objects also have an important role in children's theatre. The lighting should not only depict the space and time factors in the play but also its flavour, Dr. Saravanan said.

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