Marvellous experience

ANNA MATHEWS, Thiruvananthapuram

When the two-day theatre workshop, organised by The Hindu-Young World in Thiruvananthapuram recently as part of its Newspaper in Education programme, concluded with the staging of the play, "Tango Argumentino". it seemed to have successfully achieved what it set out to do - whet the participant's appetite for more theatre.

Twenty-five students from classes five to 10 were selected, from over 100 applicants, to take part in the workshop, conducted by the London-based theatre group, The Flying Gorillas. The workshop was aimed at inculcating an interest in theatre, through fun and games.

Henry Zachariah Kurien, a student of Std. VI, says the singing and dancing gave him self-confidence. "The Flying Gorillas helped us get rid of shyness and stage fright."

Six performers - dancers and musicians, led by music director Nigel Warrack and choreographer Susanna Garciaform the Flying Gorillas. Their style is dynamic and athletic, incorporating music, dancing and interaction.

"The performers and the audience can have a lot of fun at our shows," says Warrack.

Says Susanna Garcia, "An adult group would have notions about how a performance should be. Theatre groups invariably work, keeping in mind these ideas. Working with children frees us from such straitjackets."

Funded by various institutions, including the London Arts Council and Middlesex University, the Flying Gorillas have carried their performances from schools in the UK to the Amazonian jungle to the streets of Ireland, where they worked with gypsy children.

Tara Rachel George, Std. X, says she will always remember the two days she spent at the workshop. "The games we played - for instance, that in which we 'created' things such as a pair of shoes or a broken violin, with our bodies - stretched our creativity. We also got to see and hear musical instruments such the didgeridoo and the saxophone, which we would otherwise not have had an opportunity to. I wished my school lessons were as interesting as this training programme."

The Flying Gorillas, who dance and sing with the children, aver that children love to learn, but hate to be taught.

Their reading is confirmed by Nikhil Abraham, Std VI, awho says, "In schools, teachers force us to do everything. The Flying Gorillas, on the other hand, left everything to our choice. With their help, we conceived the sequences we had to enact. With all that freedom, we were only happy to go on to the stage."

* * *

Enchanting music from three countries acted as a link between the theatre exercises, assignments and rehearsals.

After the workshop was flagged off by veteran dramatist Kavalam Narayana Panikkar, we were divided into small groups, and asked to develop a "secret code" and devise a "secret handshake". The creative handshake seemed funny enough. In creating a tableaux, it was interesting to "be" a violin, an icecream cone, a garbage can and fire. We sang and danced, and aped monkeys, squirrels and monsters.

Body languageis important for actors - even minor gestures and postures. We also learnt to work as a group, sharing our ideas and joys. The workshop was a marvellous experience indeed.

DARSHANA SUGATHAN,

Hill Blooms School,Wayanad.

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