Summer theatre workshops are helping kids overcome stage phobia and improve communication skills. Darpan Mago reports
The Mahagony Hall at India Habitat Center was flowing to the tunes of laughter and joy. Enthusiastic kids were cheering to fun-filled activities playing a game called Who meIJ. The moments painted a delightful celebration of childhood for not only the participants but also the spectators. Who meIJ started with an assumed blame on any of the players and that had to be ‘dramatically’ pushed on to other teammates by taking their names. One who didn’t remember names or pay attention to the announcements lost. As a subtle practice of alertness and memory, this game involved an emphasis on voice modulation by speaking a defensive dialogue stepping into a specific emotion.
These young bees were taking part in the summer workshop of Barry John Acting Studio organised by Young Actors Club. The workshop is usually hosted around this time of the year when children are on summer breaks. Drama programmes not only impart basic acting skills but also assist in holistic personality development of a child. They include distinct activities that train students in different subjects starting from social communication skills to development of concentration power and alertness. “We help students in improving their communication skills and confidence. With different activities we encourage kids to be at forefront and inculcate a sense of greater self-confidence,” said Dhwani Vij, an instructor at the workshop. In order to impart students with team building spirit and leadership qualities, many such games and activities have been planned for the coming sessions. One such group game is Drag and Tail. It focusses on team spirit and coordintation skills. Sanchita, a 14-year-old participant of Young Actors Club said, “I love the atmosphere here and have made many new friends. We were taught different styles of walking and then asked to judge the mood of a person based on the manner he walks. Dhwani (instructor) showed us how much we can learn about a person by simply observing his walk.”
There is often a misconception that drama workshops are usually for the ones who want to take up acting as their career. In reality, drama and acting have a slight difference of meaning. While acting workshops are specially designed to teach acting techniques, drama is much more diverse. These workshops aim to enhance creativity, physical development and emotional intelligence among young people. “This workshop equips children to overcome their stage fright. We have made a sincere attempt of not only assisting children in their personality development but also educating them about theatrical arts. It is at this early stage that they can start to explore their potential and gauge if they would want to pursue theatre as a career option,” said Ravi Kumar, one of the instructors at the workshop.
Barry John Acting Studio is conducting this program for age group of 8-16 years at 12 different locations in the city like Maharani Bagh, Vasant Vihar, Gurgaon, lodhi Road, Noida, Janak Puri and Gulmohar Park.