Learning theatre the street smart way

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 20

Honing talent from streets, literally, seems to be the ‘mantra’ for a group of theatre artistes this summer. In an attempt to look beyond the tattered clothes and haggard smiles, using theatre as a medium to connect with them, these artistes are focused on finding talent among the most neglected areas of the city.

The Dastak theatre group works every summer with children of Central Khalsa Orphanage for 15 days, teaching them skills like body theatre, speech, expressions and body movements while also grooming them for theatre. Similarly, theatre artist Sandeep Singh too devotes a month from his theatre itinerary to indulge youngsters from the slum area, teaching them nuances of drama.

“The best part about working with these kids is that they are too eager to learn and perform. Theatre basically is based on techniques that are counted as life skills. Diction, body postures, gestures everything make for personality grooming. So, these children are learning not just acting or drama, but important life skills,” says Sandeep Singh.

Gurinder Makana, who works with underprivileged children on street theatre forms, says that the biggest challenge is to teach them not to ‘act’. “Acting should come naturally to them, and that’s where we focus more, as these children are not much aware about technique or production details. To make a performer out of them, one must teach them not to act but to connect with the situation. In some cases, it comes easy as most of the things we highlight through street theatre like drug abuse, poverty, oppression or crime, these children have already seen these things around them.” With one production or street play involving these children every year, Makana says that their talent exceeds his expectations sometimes. “I have many examples to prove that the best of talent breeds among the neglected lot.”