Childhood is a stream of creativity and excitement. Through the medium of “Theatre of Relevance” philosophy and it’s processes, the curiosity within a child was given a distinctive direction.
Theatre of Relevance “Balnatya” Workshop was conducted between 20th-22nd November 2018, at Sandhurst Road, Mumbai. In which children aged between 7-15 years participated in discussions and conversations about their inquisitive world, their life, environment, family , school and evolved a play through this process.
There exists a special relationship between a child and stories. The process inculcated constructive values from these stories into their minds in the form of thoughts and infinite ideas …
As we realized these ‘stories’ are being erased by the upcoming trend of virtual world for example video games , play stations , televisions etc… This has not only snatched stories from them but also the morals and the values hidden in it.
Through this workshop children have experienced the process of writing, direction, acting, thinking through critical situations , finding questions and answers, independence through leadership and above all the strength of facing challenges that comes in life.
On the first day, the participants identified the incidents they wished to change in their surroundings and expressed in the form of a creative play.
Participants used to come with a self written letter which motivated them to convey their feelings , & learning experiences ( rather than appreciating the mentors, we always emphasized them on what learnings and processes have they achieved in this processes. Especially Yogini Chouk (Performer) would always bring their attention to this while letter reading).
Through this process, participants were expressing themselves as well as conversing within themselves. This was noticed when we asked children to individually perform their letters. In this process, a few questions of uncertainty arose in their minds like – ‘how do I do this / I can’t do this’. They were then made aware of their learnings – “independence” “self belief”, after which the uncertainty transformed into exploring solutions. How to self express? How can one correct one’s own mistakes? What is the difference between performing in a team and performing as an individual? Participants fetched their answers through this process.
Dream is to make the impossible – possible.
This is what we learnt in Theatre of Relevance Children’s Workshop as the speciality of ‘Theatre of Relevance’ workshop is learning process is not unilateral but multilateral, one that is ever evolving and unfolding. So we always say ” learning with self , learning with team and learning with togetherness !! ”
By – Theatre of Relevance Practitioners and Performers.