Mime ‘eating a banana’. It is as simple as peeling the skin of the banana, putting it in the mouth, chewing it and bringing a look of contentment to the face. But this act could be made even more engaging by incorporating sequences like a phone-bell ringing; you leave the half-eaten banana to pick up the phone and later slip on it and fall on your back.

Explaining the A – Z of acting at a workshop conducted for teachers at the Bishop Cotton Girls’ School, Mary Ann Tear says details add perfection to an act. Tear is an examiner from the UK-based Trinity Guildhall syllabus for Grade Certificate Examinations in Drama and Speech who was in the City to examine the performance of students.

Response from students

Tear says she was overwhelmed by the response from the students. “Some of the performances were brilliant. It feels good to realise that there is talent in abundance among Indian children. It was interesting to see some of them do the adaptations of regional language plays.

“There was a play which required the characters to speak in Irish. Since these students couldn’t do it, they replaced Irish characters with Indian ones and did the conversations with an Indian accent. Isn’t that brilliant?” she asks.

The assessment was done by giving the students various tasks – both group and individual. Completing the tasks and grade will eventually fetch them certificates and will enable them to apply for higher courses abroad.

“But this is possible only after completing Grade 6,” she adds.

Any student interested in Trinity Guildhall exams can take it up by getting in touch with their Bangalore representatives. For completing the tasks, candidates are often encouraged to select pieces from their own literature and culture. And the examinations are held between the months of October and November.

According to her, more than anything else, these exams would help increase the confidence in the children. “In this age, every field, at some point of time, demand you to face a crowd confidently,” she says, and adds, “it will also help the students to develop an interest for language and literature.”

The performer

Once a performer herself, Tear’s interest lie in musical theatre. For one who has mastered many forms of dance (even Bharatanatyam for some time) Bollywood is highly entertaining.

“Bombay Dreams has always been my favourite. I know there are a lot of productions that are trashy, but you need to pick what’s best,” she says.

In India, theatre is a genre that profits from a niche market which is not the case in the UK.

As a solution, Tear suggests that it’s imperative to create a demand for theatre by bringing in more production companies and creating space for themto perform.

“There are so many production companies in the UK and they come out with a lot of plays every year. This is how you create a demand for your product. And we should also try to build a generation that enjoys good theatre. I think the exams like this can achieve that,” she says. Tear believes in this age of globalisation, the two countries can work in tandem for the desired result.

Entries for this year close in mid-July so that the itinerary of the examiner can be planned.

Details about the exams and fee can be obtained by sending a mail to trincoll@jagrititheatre.com.