What is the one enviable quality a child possesses which an adult sorely lacks? The answer is simple, if you stop to think about it. Imagination – unfettered, uninhibited.
At a time when even pleasurable hobbies like drama and music tend to be exam-oriented or competitive, the children’s theatre group ‘Kids at Play’, comes as a much needed breath of fresh air. Here, children have the space to let their minds wander free while engaging in aspects of drama and theatre.
Head of the English Department at the Colombo University, Prof Neluka Silva is the founder and director of ‘Kids at Play’ and her passion for drama and love for the work she does with the children is evident in her conversation and every animated gesture. “My emphasis is not only on stagecraft but to build skills that emerge from drama, like confidence, teamwork and communication” explains Prof. Neluka. The children of the group aged eight to 14 years are taught various elements of drama such as breathing exercises and voice control through theatre games and other methods.
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| Fostering a love of drama: Prof. Neluka Silva |
‘Kids at Play’ was established purely as an experiment with a handful of children six years ago, and has now snowballed into an enthusiastic group of 60 children. Their upcoming production consists of three plays – ‘Rags to Riches’, ‘The Monkey Man’ and ‘Riches to Rags’ – and revolves around the theme of economic hardships, an apt choice given the current circumstances. After all, we’ve heard the views of world leaders, financial gurus and economists. The time has come to hear the opinions of perhaps, the wisest of us all – the children.
A unique factor in this production is that it is in the form of devised theatre –where the play is not based on a script but instead, is derived from a collection of ideas from a group of people. In this manner, the children are actively involved in the formation of the play and very much a part of the creative process. “I am constantly amazed at the dialogues and scenes they can create,” says Prof. Neluka. A plethora of issues ranging from bullying, peer pressure to dealing with loss and disappointment will be interwoven in the plays.
“They are very excited about contributing to the play. The whole idea is to get the children themselves involved and give them the space and the capacity to think,” she says. ‘The Monkey Man’ for instance is an adaptation of one of her own short stories and has been embellished by the children with new characters and sub plots.
“The good thing about working with devised theatre is that each rehearsal is different to the next. Even on the night of the performance, you do not know what they might say!” she laughs.
The desire to foster a love for theatre in children stems from her experiences with the Scott Richards’ acting workshops and the training she had with the Pegasus Youth Theatre Group when she was at the University of Oxford, coupled with a passion for drama from her schooldays.
And how does a busy academic and mother of two find the time to do all of this? There is no question in Prof. Neluka’s mind. “I love it,” she says smiling. “I never sit down and think of what I have to do. I just do it.”
She has the encouragement of friends and family alike, she adds mentioning in particular the assistance rendered by Natasha Chapman, Nayana Samarasinghe, Gayani Weerasekara and Dishna Amarasekara towards the production.
A child’s mind knows no bounds. Give them the freedom to think and a forum to express themselves and the possibilities are infinite. And it is this, that audiences can look forward to at the Punchi Theatre when ‘Kids at Play’ present their three plays from October 15-18 at 7 p.m. Programmes for the event can be obtained at Aashkii, 1, Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7 and the Punchi Theatre.
Electronic media sponsors for the play are Yes FM and Channel One MTV. The Sunday Times is the print media sponsor for the production. |
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