STAGE FLIGHT

The latest summer workshop started last week in GK-II and most participants are strangers to each other. “This is a different kind of fun. I remember how I used to dread being on stage,” says Nimish Sagar Goel,a Class IX student and a regular here,who often performs on stage now. New students are on their best behaviour; they are staying silent. “Most parents and teachers tell me their children ‘don’t talk so much’. My first challenge is to get them to make a noise,” says Alkazi.

Introductions begin with high fives. Children stand in a circle and,by turns,call out each other’s names,reaching out for a high five before exchanging places. Except that it isn’t as simple. “I don’t know his name,” squeaks one child. “Hi Siddharth,no it’s Siddhanth,no it’s… I don’t know,” says a boy in a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt. On this intimate stage,every child gets it wrong at least once,and the room seems lighter. Blundering is fun,unlike at school.

One of the games requires children to jump and shout AAAAAAARGH — all together. Goel puts up a strong show. Pony-tailed girl Farah Ali,12,looks ready to disappear into the wall. But soon,as children jump and shout,she joins in with a reluctant smile. New to Delhi,she can’t even speak Hindi. Little does she know that some others in the group also have stories of trauma — separated or divorced parents,peer or sibling pressure,and bullying.

Alkazi has around 300 games to “break down walls” and harness creativity. The workshop ends with stage productions. “Some children linger on the edges of groups. It is important to give them small roles and watch the applause boost their self-respect,” he says. A few years ago,a burly Sikh boy with a severe stammer joined the group,unable and unwilling to talk. “Last year,he played Lord Chamberlain in The Emperor’s New Clothes. He doesn’t stammer any more,” says Alkazi proudly.

Another Delhi-based theatre director,Lokesh Jain,who has been training children for 13 years,says,“Theatre,I have found,is effective in tapping into a child’s natural talents,emotions and creative skills. A child who learns to shout,to turn that shout into the chirping of a bird,and then into the roar of a lion will,in a short time,begins to articulate opinions with confidence.”

At Alkazi’s workshop,the final task for each group is to create a skit. As children argue and narrate tales,Ali,who has been quiet all this while,begins to shed her reticence. When the skits begin to get staged,Ali sneaks up to Alkazi and asks,“Can I ring the bell,please?” He nods.

“Audience ready? Actors ready?” she announces,her voice loud and clear. “Yes,” comes the response. “Trinnnnnng,” says Ali. The play begins.

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