Children steal the show, as usual
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
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The two plays by the SRC Summer Children Theatre Workshop dealt with important social issues.
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NO KIDDING THIS! A scene from "Tapti Dharti Pe Bunate Sapne."
Inspired by the concept of theatre-in-education that seeks to bridge the gap between the formal education system and imparting education to children through theatre art, SRC Summer Children Theatre Workshop presented two short plays this past week to a near-capacity hall.
Presenting burning social issues in a way that is at once entertaining and educating, the venture is a successful one that involves children in the creative process.
Designed, scripted and directed by Lokendra Trivedi, an alumnus of the National School of Drama and a committed artiste, he has been engaged in different aspects of theatrical art for the last two and a half decades.
Impressed with the response of 55 participating children in the age group of 12 to 16 years, Trivedi conducted workshop for a month.
His approach is to bring to the fore the inherent creativity of the child in a manner that makes the director himself a participant in the creative process, establishing a friendly rapport with children, apart from telling them about the basics of theatre.
Indeed working with children is very intense and a difficult but rewarding too. Mushtaq Kak, the artistic director of SRC, coordinated the workshop.
Solar system
The evening opened with "Antriksh Ka Sapna" that aims at revealing scientific facts about the solar system.
It tells us about the planets which revolve round the Sun. The action opens with a classroom where a teacher is teaching about planets.
Exploring the fantasy world of the child, the director introduces a dream sequence. Boarded on a rocket, three children fly far and high, visiting planets, getting scientific information about them and their relationship with the sun.
Scientific information about these planets has been woven into the basic structure of the script in an interesting manner. The way the children perform, share scientific data with the children in the auditorium enabled them to have a lively contact with the audience.
Often they create lively situations with a view to sustain the interest of the audience.
Fantasy world
The offstage sounds, the subtle lighting effects and the stage compositions create a fantasy world. The sequence where the children meet Jupiter, largest planet of the solar system, is probably the most captivating.
The inherent idea is to expose various myths about these planets that have given rise to superstitions. The encounter with Saturn, Shani, is hilarious.
The play ends with the call that only the earth has the privilege to sustain and nurture life, including that of human - the creator of all the arts and scientific discoveries. So it is the duty of humans to protect the earth.
The concluding piece is `Tapati Dharati Pe Bunate Sapne' which highlights the danger of deforestation, resulting in floods, landslides and acute shortage of drinking water. Imaginatively conceived, the play has interesting storyline, thrilling music, meaningful lyrics and engaging performances. What evokes loud laughter is the way the forest dwellers - rats, monkeys, elephants and lions - move about. Here we have trees who speak like humans.
There is perfect harmony between nature and the wild animals which present an exhilarating image. But gradually everything is changed. The greed of man leads to reckless felling of trees, turning dense forests into a desolate and barren landscape.
The message is clear. The performers exude excitement while enacting their roles. The flow of excitement passes from the performers to the audience and back.
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Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
