Children take centre stage
K.K. GOPALAKRISHNAN
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Rangachetana's eight-day theatre workshop for children was a unique experience for the participants.
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GETTING THEIR ACT TOGETHER: `Mandan Sipai' was the play presented by children between the ages of 11and 16.
Since 1985, Rangachetana, a theatre group in Thrissur, has been conducting theatre workshops for children during the summer vacation.
Thirty children between the ages of five and 16 participated in the eight-day workshop that concluded on May 20. The venue was the Natyagriham of Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi.
Dedicated to Kunjunni Master
This year's workshop was dedicated to the late Kunjunni Master, whose verses endeared him to children and adults alike.
During the workshop, the children are initiated into theatre through various games to identify their inherent tastes. Storytelling, singing, enacting real-life situations and individually improvising a given situation of daily life are some of the techniques used at the camp
The finale of the workshop was the presentation of two short plays by the participants.
The play presented by children in the age group of five to 10 years was `Mandan Sipai' (Stupid Postman), inspired by the poems of Kunjunni Master. `Pokkaram' (Prosperity) was the play presented by children between the ages of 11and 16.
Both the plays captivated the packed audience. Sunil Sukhada, a seasoned theatre actor of Rangachetana, who donned the role of the postman, impressed the spectators with his histrionics.
Both the plays were written and directed by K.V. Ganesh, playwright and director. Since 1990 Ganesh has been the director of the summer camp of Rangachetana.
"This time I merely supervised the camp. Four college students and theatre activists, products of the workshop, assisted me," says Ganesh. They provided live background music for both the plays.
In the camp the little ones shared their stories and played, making even the rehearsals a part of their fun.
"Our aim is to present children's plays performed by children for an audience comprising children. Although almost every school stages plays by students, it all ends with a participation in the youth festival competition. In this backdrop, our camp is an attempt for the sustenance and growth of children's theatre in the State," says E.T. Varghese, president of Rangachetana.
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