Rangashankara

Theatre for Toddlers: Bends and Flows

(Show Timings: 11 am and 5 pm)

Over the years, Ranga Shankara has truly been able to diversify its scope with the AHA! Theatre for Children Programme, making an investment in the future. Now we bring to you “Theatre For Toddlers” -- a step ahead.  It is perhaps the first time any institution in India is consciously beginning to create theatre for children between the ages of 18 months and 30 months.
The process began three years ago, when Ranga Shankara brought down plays for the very young like The Great Lalula and Garbage Mouse. We then offered a Pedagogy Workshop for 12 theatre pedagogues from around the country. Conducted by Anna Gorath and Marcela Herrera, theatre pedagogues who have specialised in Theatre for Toddlers. Following this project, a follow-up session was organised in March this year. This intensive workshop with Herrera focused on methods to devise pieces for toddlers. Both legs of the workshop were supported by the Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan and the National School of Drama in Delhi.
Two participants from the workshop – Samta Shikhar and Padmavathi Rao are going to present their pieces at this year's AHA! Festival. As we're at the threshold of something very important and SMALL, the participants share their experience on the process.

Bends and Flows (30 minutes)
Devised and created by: Samta Shikhar, Shrunga BV, Subhashim Goswami.



Synopsis: Our play, “Bends and Flows,” would like to create a visual and aural experience for toddlers using  basic, everyday material that all of us are familiar with – Kala Channa or Black Gram as its known in English. Images and sounds created by Kala Channa, would like to engage audiences as young as one-and-a-half-years as well as adults. We hope that both are able to glimpse the hidden narratives accompanying these images and rhythms.
Thoughts on the Process

Samta Shikhar:
“At the workshop conducted by Marcella and Anna, I was amazed by the concept as an actor and facilitator. The idea of creating theatre for one-and-a-half-year old is challenging, but the exciting part for me as an artist was to create something that also works for adults. I was becoming aware of things and material around us that can be used to create such a play. When I saw my mother-in-law cleaning Kala Channa in the soop (hay-sieve) and my two-year-old daughter watching it with utmost amazement... I found my audience and my actor. We created Bends and Flows.”