Plays from Germany, Switzerland and Korea at children's theatre fest

After a two-year-long hiatus, Ranga Shankara’s AHA! International Theatre Festival for Children is back. Featuring five productions - from Germany, Switzerland, South Korea, and two from India - the plays have been designed for age groups 20 months and 18 years.

“Last year, we conducted the festival digitally. It was great as it was challenging and we managed to pull it off. That said, we are all about being in the physical space. So we are happy that we are back,” says Arundhati Nag, director of Ranga Shankara. “The teams from Germany, Switzerland and Korea have been very bold, as the decision to come down was taken more than a month ago, when we did not know how this pandemic was panning out. We didn't know if international travel would be possible or affordable. So, we decided to do this festival,” she shares, adding that all the plays will also be available online.

On till Thursday, the fest will also feature seminars, workshops and activities for not only children, but also parents and teachers. “We are also hosting a special seminar with theatre-makers from across cities. The theatre segment for children was affected the most. Children did not get to go out at all, and two years of their childhood were gone. Since the children were not able to go out to watch plays, people who were making work for children also stopped working. So, this time, there will be a group of sociologists, psychologists, pedagogs, writers, teachers and theatremakers, who, over the days, will try to examine the intent and content of the theatre that we make for children in India.”

Up close with nature
The lineup also includes Ranga Shankara’s in-house production titled Ee Gida, Aa Mara. Written and directed by Mumbai-based theatremaker Sananda Mukhopadhyaya, the play is for children between two and four years. “In this play, we are looking at the microenvironment within a tree. It’s a material-based play with two performers and there is music, movement and visuals that are created using natural materials. It's a devised play – the performers and I have worked extensively on many ideas based on the theme of the play, which, in this case, is the tree and the many worlds in it. Bengaluru has a wonderful kinship with its trees. Lal Bagh has been a major research point for us and a lot of foraging has happened in that garden,” Arundhati shares.

The festival lineup also features Sag Mal (Ceren Oran & Moving Borders, Germany), Gulliver’s Travels (Puppetshaala Performing Arts, India), The Story of the Lake (Theatre Young, South Korea), and Minor Matters (Peter Rinderknecht, Switzerland).