No child's play, this

junior drama

Children’s theatre, you would think, is 'child’s play'. Nothing is further from the truth. This is serious business primarily because we are dealing with young minds in the formative stage.

“We don’t treat children as children, we consider them an adult audience... they understand the world so much better than we do,” says Nandini Rao, artistic director of Yours Truly, a Bengaluru-based theatre company, in conversation about their children’s wing, 'Kidology'.

This statement is vindicated by Shaili Sathyu, artistic director of Mumbai-based Gillo Repertory Theatre (GRT) and secretary of ASSITEJ India, who believes that "it is very important that we respect our young audience. This must reflect in our work through every aspect… Adults often tend to talk down to children and this is something we are very careful about keeping out of our plays."

On the rise

Over the past 10 years, across the globe, there has been an explosion of quality theatre for children. "The field has grown exponentially in terms of the quality and quantity of work. There are more festivals, more new work, more collaborations, more international partnerships, more demanding work, more aesthetically bold work. It is perhaps some of the most interesting and dynamic theatre happening on the planet," says Peter Brosius, artistic director, Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On home soil, whilst this genre is seeing an increasing growth and phenomenal metamorphosis, Sathyu rues the fact that "children's theatre in India has been happening in pockets… it is too less and has very little on ground presence. In India, we have only seven festivals across the country that focus on theatre for children. And very few theatre spaces have a planned calendar for children."

AHA! Bengaluru is one such setup with a dedicated calendar that creates quality theatre for children, in addition to showcasing productions from around the globe. The beauty of theatre is such that it circumvents possible barriers such as language through interactivity, mime, music and laughter. Thus, you have productions like the brilliant 'Korean Haru' that is non-verbal, the British puppet theatre 'The Red Balloon' with its musical score, and even 'Lulu the German clown' who connected with her antics.

What is exciting is the way children’s theatre, like its adult counterpart, is moving away from designated spaces in an attempt to reach out to diverse sections of society. This ranges from urban schools and institutions to the disadvantaged and labour camps. Rao tells of how they have performed in a village at dusk, in front of a hut with just one bare bulb that was enthusiastically wired by students from the village. “The sheer excitement and engagement of the 300 village audience was unimaginable!” she says. And does the style of acting need to change with the type of audience? Rao thinks not. “We expand the horizon to accommodate their reality, rather than changing our performance,” she clarifies.

Another contemporary shift has been the sea change in the subject matter for productions. Generating stories based on reality and context of our times is the order of the day. Whilst it stands to reason that productions may be age-specific, such topics as mental health, suicide, depression, anger, body image, the 'cool' factor and bullying are increasingly what the young are keen to discuss. Rao explains the modality thus: “Through theatre-based activities and short discussions, these topics are put back into theatre themes to find solutions on how to manage it."

Whilst standard Western fairy tales may still hold good for many, often with a twist in the tale for originality, for GRT, as it is increasingly for many theatre groups in India, "developing and showcasing original Indian content" is of paramount importance. This is because GRT believes in "providing children an experience that is interactive and fun, and at the same time an experience that sensitises them to cultural values."

Stumbling blocks

Across the globe, Brosius echoes a similar sentiment: "The field must fully embrace the glorious diversity of our communities and create work that will ignite imaginations, surprise and delight, and help to create critical thinking and confident new leaders," he says.

Experts believe that having children lead the discussion, share their opinions, and voice their aspirations in theatre productions results in the building of character, cultivates respect and teamwork, often combats violence, and instills a sense of community and service.

While the future of children’s theatre zooms ahead on an exciting trajectory, there are speed humps to trip on. While funding is always a stumbling block, Sathyu believes that the challenge of audience building, and more so the lack of specialised theatre training, is what ails this genre of art in India.

Rao believes that it is imperative to let go of pre-conceived notions of children and childhood, and approach with an unbiased mind. Brosius, for his part, urges practitioners to be completely honest, never underestimating the intelligence and sophistication of young people, and also to never stop the advocacy of the rights and power of young people.