The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Theatre is more than a pastime for them

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 07, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Theatre is more than a pastime for them

Meera Srinivasan

Their passion for the stage began at a vacation theatre workshop

CHENNAI: They're about five feet tall. Their eyes almost pop out with excitement when they describe their experiences as actors. These budding artists find theatre fascinating.

High school students Susan Abraham, Supraja Narayan, Ashirwad, Alisha Ajit and Prarthana are part of youth theatre group `Landing Stage'. The group's latest production was `Aladdin', which was recently staged at Alliance Francaise. They share their experiences on and off stage, in an animated discussion.

It all started on a lazy summer afternoon when they decided to attend a theatre workshop during the vacation. They were given several exercises, which equipped them with skills required for theatre. The exposure eventually drew the teenagers into the theatre group.

While learning voice modulation, each of them had to identify 10 levels at which the same dialogue could be delivered. "We were made to read the same line at different volumes," explained Susan, a Class IX student of Church Park. "The nice thing about our group is that our director does not ask us to act or speak in a particular way. She simply gives us the scene and dialogue and leaves us to explore the possibilities," said Alisha, who goes to Lady Andal.

"Oh, we were also taught how to conserve breath. Since we don't use mikes unless absolutely necessary, voice modulation and breathing control while speaking become vital," explains Prarthana, a Class IX student of Padma Seshadri.

Supraja, who goes to the same school, found `trust exercises' very interesting. "It is very important to trust our colleagues on stage. We had activities that helped us gain confidence in each another," she said.

Emoting, they said, was not just about changing facial expression. "We have to emote with our entire body. Doesn't our body language change in accordance with different situations?" Ashirwad asked. A Class XI student of Bala Vidya Mandir, he thinks managing academics and rehearsals is no big deal. In fact, some of them even complete their homework during rehearsals, when they are not doing a scene.

Theatre, to them, is more than a pastime. Post-theatre sessions they find themselves more articulate, confident, and empathetic to their environment.

The group works on two productions every year. Frequent book reading sessions keep them engaged otherwise.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu