Date:07/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/yw/2009/07/07/stories/2009070750251400.htm

More than theatre

FAIZA HASAN

Theatre helps to build teamwork and confidence.

Encore: The NDS team

At the recently held Hyderabad Theatre Festival many were pleasantly surprised to see the Nasr Dramatic Society, which comprises only 13-17 year-old children was among the teams that got short-listed to perform at the festival. What’s interesting is that the NDS’s play was instantly selected despite competing with 17 other professional theatre groups.

All-round development

The founder of Nasr School Begum Anees Khan started the Nasr Dramatic Society way back in 1978 because she believed that children need to grow beyond academics and need to have an all-round personality for which theatre is a powerful tool. The school’s principal, Madhubala Kapoor, says, “I’m extremely proud of my girls, they have explored theatre and its different aspects like stage and costumes. Theatre definitely helps in teamwork, leadership and building confidence.”

The NDS performed Ayn Rand’s ‘Night of January 16th’ which was based on a murder trial. The jury members were chosen from the unsuspecting audience, based on whose decision an appropriate ending was enacted.“A lot of people believed that we won’t be able to carry off a male-dominated script, but we were successful,” says Meghna who played a male character in the play.