Dramatically yours

Speaking about the different treatments of the art,he shares,“For me drama is a lot of things,but basically I use it as an educational tool. Drama is not merely about performances; it’s about experiencing the whole activity- living it through the shoes of the character and hence it is about doing difficult roles in a protected environment. I have been using it as a tool to educate young minds and make them think beyond the facts they are fed with.”

Talking about his workshop at Aman Setu,he says,“I took them on a roller coaster ride of characters from history,making them think like people from the past and analyse their actions. I made the children act like the Greek Gods –Prometheus and Zeus,we went through the entire tale and tried to think of actions of these characters objectively and then analysing them. I feel we can use drama as a tool to teach other subjects – like history and languages. Rather than just stuffing children with facts,we need to tell them the consequences of facts and that is where drama comes in handy. I guess that helps them appreciate different perspectives and become more objective.”

A part of the National Association for the Teachers of Drama,Frost came to Delhi,two years back. Speaking of his journey since then,he says,“ My marriage got me to India. My wife is an Indian and she wanted to come back for some time,so I came along with her. The journey has been great. I have been to different schools in India and interacted with students and teachers and it has been an immense learning for me as well.”

While Frost’s enthusiasm was hard to miss,it was clear that he isn’t very satisfied with the education techniques of today,“I think we are very restrictive in our teachnig manners,we need to break all barriers and make children thinking tanks,not fact-sheets. Drama in fact makes for a fabulous teaching tool.”

Lewis Frost is planning for his next workshop based on the Revolt of 1857 which again will surely be an experience in itself.

For the teacher and students of Aman Setu School,drama metamorphosed into a way of life and a way of learning,after the Drama workshop that was hosted by the school from November 6 to 8. Conducted by Lewis Frost,an educator and artist from United Kingdom,the event was a learning exercise and an eye-opener for most. With a theme — Value of drama in classroom — the two-day teacher training added a new dimension to teaching. Attended by 15 teachers from Pune and nearby areas,the workshop discussed how drama could be used to make teaching a more real exercise. Megha Chandvankar,teacher trainer,MKF says,“This is new and interesting to study history or language in such a fashion. ” While the teacher’s learnt some new tricks of the trade,children on the other hand enjoyed a day full of acting,role-playing and being in someone else’s shoes and seeing the world differently. Conducted for the very first time in Pune this event surely gave an interesting insight.