To make children tomorrow’s leaders, we need to help them come up and take ownership of their own work, says team viva
Being a child means being carefree. Dreaming child took us to a beautiful journey down the memory lane, as they performed ten lessons on How to eat like a child, by Delia Ephron. From decor to personifying their characters, children were given full liberty to give their views and ideas. Its their originality and innocence that made them eloquent.
The play offered advice beyond the artful etiquette of eating. The ten parts in which the play was divided included lessons on subjects like-‘how to beg for a dogIJ’ and ‘how to torture your sister.’ They beautifully portrayed the relationship of a brother and sister. From pulling her hair to calling her names, they left no stone upturned to torture each other. Adding a song in this lesson lured the audience to sing along.
Students between 7-13 years, took upon themselves to decide everything, which is rare in the age of spoon feeding. It was a ‘process driven’ show in which the children came out of their comfort zones and focused more on the process than the product. They opened their minds and gave wings to their creativity, delivering a beautiful product. Murmurs could be heard from the backstage, as the teachers reminded the children the dialogues they were forgetting. Their innocence overpowered the cute mistakes and the audience couldn’t help but smile.
“More than theatre, I learnt how to work in a team. My character was of an angry kid, so Sophia ma’am made us practice all the styles, from- echoing, shadowing and mirroring. later we implemented it in our dance and songs as well,” said an eleven year-old participant.
Adhiraj Mahajan, a 10 year old shared “Earlier I wasn’t so fond of music but gradually my interest grew. later, I even started loving theatre. Dreaming Child, was my first show.”
Even the design of the stage was unique. The designer had put up the creative products of the children themselves. “Having a background in art and architecture, I have worked in 3-dimensional art. So, I wanted the kids to learn the concept of 3D as they are always restricted to 2D in their schools. Painting a cube is an unusual concept for them altogether. Every child has worked on their cubes and showcased their creativity. a little something to take back home” she added.
Originally, when the play was planned, the children had cubes as one of the main props on the stage. So, the kids made them all by themselves and poured all their love and creativity in it. Such active and marvellous involvement of kids in the theatre world is something one should look forward to and appreciate.
Mahima Kaur, the founder of Dreaming Child said, “Every human has something they are highly sensitive to. I have a soft spot for children and performing arts. When I see children with so much potential, I feel obligated to help them cultivate their potential further. We, as teachers have to channelise their energy in the best way possible. Its the process and energy that is needed when helping a child find the right path, that triggers me to work with them.”
With a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University, her immense love for performing arts and passion to create a unique platform for children persuaded her to move to India in 2007 and gradually founded Dreaming Child in 2009. After almost a decade of acting and direction, Mahima holds four awards, including The Golden Elephant award by Children’s Film Society Of India, for films created by children under her guidance. “It is really personal to me. There is a constant need to reconnect with oneself and to understand what gives us true happiness. For me, its the joy of spreading art that keeps me going ,”
When asked about her take on creative education, she said, “It’s like skill building. If a child comes to me and after a span of 2-3 years is not able to find a path, then I have failed. There is a quote by Maria Montessori- ‘You are happy as a teacher when the child is working as if you are not there’. So, that’s my role. My aim is to get children look at theatre as a skill. learn the basic ingredients of theatre and know how to use space on the stage. How to define a character and build itIJ How to control one’s expressionIJ When to use the different kinds of gestures that give life to a playIJ If they learn these basics, they can apply them anytime and when they do, they will excel.”