The power and drama of theatre

HYDERABAD: Leaving behind the drama of everyday life which revolves around being late for school and last minute homework, 36 city kids stepped onto the centre stage of Hyderabad's theatre life to experience the power and poetry of a three-day theatre workshop with Mohammad Ali Baig, the city's ace theatre figure. The event, which began on June 1 as part of TOI's Hyderabad for Kids campaign, offered an insight into the basics of theatre and gave the young participants an opportunity to learn simple exercises to hone their acting skills.
"I had a lot of fun here and learnt so much about theatre. The most important part for me was the whole process of getting to know the others and putting up a play on our own at the end of the day. It really helped me build my confidence and I would love to pursue acting seriously now," said 12-year-old Raghavi M, talking about her experience at the event. The other participants echoed her views as within three days they had come a long way from being shy kids to confident teams who enacted two small plays on their own at the end of the workshop.
The first day of the theatre workshop, June 1, began with a brief talk introducing kids to the basics of theatre followed by a small exercise using bamboo sticks including deep breathing, balancing on the toes and rotating the shoulders in order to make them comfortable with body balance and movement. After a few other exercises to help them open up, the participants were asked to use the bamboo as a prop and enact any character.
Their imagination left Baig impressed as in their young hands, the same bamboo transformed from a warrior's sword and a policeman's baton to a walking stick and a crowbar. "Don't be conscious, no one is judging you," said Baig to the kids who were a little hesitant to come forward. "This is how we do theatre, by shedding all our inhibitions. You must feel free, calm and comfortable, only then you will get into the skin of the character," he continued. He encouraged the participants to think of a detailed description for the character they were choosing in order to make the performance complete.
Over the next couple of days, the group enacted a scene where they played various animals, learnt about various aspects of a theatre production such as costume, lighting, stage setting, props, direction, etc. and also about the types of staging such as proscenium (audience on one side of stage), thrust (audience on three sides), theatre-in-the-round (audience surrounding the stage) and sandwich (audience on two opposite sides of stage).
Finally, they were given an opportunity to put their learning to the test in the form of a small play written and performed by the kids themselves. From cleaning the stage, setting up the set, arranging the make-shift props to cuing the lighting and delivering the dialogues, the teams pulled it off with great enthusiasm. Speaking about the event, Baig said, "It is great to see young children taking the initiative to participate in theatre. The workshop was a wonderful experience for me.
I had a great time with the kids, who are the future of theatre. It ended as a nice tribute to my father on his death anniversary on June 3."