From textbooks to the stage

Theatre Extravaganza

The students of Seshadripuram Institute of Commerce and Management had a ball of a time recently, as they celebrated an event called ‘The English Day Presentations’. As part of the programme, the students formed groups and staged different plays and short skits that are a part of their syllabus.

Through this event, the students took a keen interest in the world of theatre.

Doari Raj S N,  the principal of the college, feels that events like these help students get to know their subjects better.

“Such events should be introduced to present the course material in an interesting and visually-appealing way — that way, the students can enjoy learning. They would also get a change to creatively present what they have learnt in the form of poetry and skits. Besides, these events teach the students about the spirit of team work and give them space for their ideas, which is very essential these days.”

Theatre personality, celebrated danseuse and actor, Vidushi Vidhya Venkatraman, was present at the show and gave her inputs. The programme included dramas like ‘Where There Is A Will’, ‘The 2nd Coming’, ‘Two Tramps in Mud Time’, ‘No More Hiroshimas’ and a skit, called ‘Caliban’s Resistance’ from Shakespeare’s, ‘The Tempest’.

The students had a great time rehearsing for the plays and planning the programme. They note that it taught them a lot of things. Many of them felt that this was a good way to go deeper into the subject, as preparing for the plays required them to study the pieces in a different and more detailed manner. “This activity gave us a better understanding of the subject. We also got the opportunity to build a rapport and  bond with our peers. It was a good ice-breaker and our talent got its due recognition.

We explored all possibilities and stretched our boundaries,” says Chaithra N, a student. Nirav, who was a part of the activity, says that they had a great time preparing for the play. “It was a literary treat as it covered many topics in unique and beautiful ways — we were not constricted to learning in the class room,”
he says.