Summer theatre programme engages with aspiring artistes at Virsa Vihar

Amritsar, June 15

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An engrossing session of theatrics and loud cheers fill up the otherwise quiet cultural space of Virsa Vihar in the heart of city. Excited discussions happen over soft drinks as a mix of theatre artists, starting from age six to 25, learn the nuances of the art on stage, the technique of light and sound modulation from experts.

The annual 15-day theatre workshop for children in collaboration with Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy and month-long National Theatre workshop by National School of Drama (NSD) alumnus and eminent theatre artiste Kewal Dhaliwal has now become a regular event in the cultural calendar of the city. The children’s workshop helmed by Dhaliwal trains 30 children from the city and surrounding areas, who work on enhancing their theatrical skills.

Through drama and dance programmes designed by experts in his team, including theatre actor-director Emmanuel Singh, the workshop provides an outlet for expression, communication and self-confidence.

“The purpose of the workshops is to impart a holistic and creative education of theatre, drama and the fields related to it. Theatre is one of the oldest forms of art and we try to give the students an exposure to its different genres, technical aspects and one-on-one learning experience from experts,” Dhaliwal said.

The children’s workshop has 15 participants this year and will culminate in a play called Gubbare, written by Atamjit, directed by Emmanuel Singh and performed by dance choreographer Awas Sethi.

The national theatre workshop has now become a sought-after summer programme by theatre artistes from Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. A few years ago, artistes from Pakistan also used to attend it.

The workshop mostly comprises artists from rural backgrounds, small towns and areas that cannot provide much exposure of opportunities to the theatre artistes. A total of 45 artistes are part of the programme this year.