The Little Theatre had its first summer workshop for children around 29 years ago. “Back then, it was something new that we wanted to do,” said Aysha Rau, the founder.
Over the last 10 days, the theatre group, famed for their annual pantomimes in the city, ensured that children did not miss out on theatre or art during the lockdown and hosted a virtual theatre summer camp.
The theatre camp had 14 participants between 7 to 15 years of age. “Every day, the participants tuned in for 90-minute sessions with our resource persons. We initially expected that bringing them together for virtual sessions could be chaotic but everyone got the hang of it pretty quickly and it was interactive and engaging,” said Dr. Rohini Rau, trustee, The Little Theatre.
On Saturday evening, the participants of the camp came together to put up a virtual showcase of all they had learnt and taken an interest in over the last 10 days. From their homes, the participants in small groups put up short skits that they had written, complete with songs and dance.
For B.Krishnakumar, the artistic director of the theatre group, the virtual theatre camp was an interesting challenge. “We examined how to effectively translate our vision and prepare specific activities which made communicating online with our participants easier and more effective. We were not simply focussed on teaching the participants how to act or sing but rather, empower them with tools that they could build upon and come up with their own songs, dance routines and write their own small plays,” he said.
The feedback from the participants and parents has been encouraging, Ms Aysha Rau said. “As a creative group, we were able to work together effectively and it was an exciting experience.”
The Little Theatre has also been hosting virtual acting master classes conducted by Mr. Krishnakumar and has one coming up on June 6.
