Tales Spin

Ninety children,dressed in cute costumes,will take the city to the world of fables and fairytales. Armed with interesting dialogues and dressed in colourful costumes,these young members of Razzmatazz,a city-based drama therapy group,are all set to amaze the audience with their on-stage presence. They will stage fairytales like Cinderella,Jack and the Bean Stalk,Alladdin and Sleeping Beauty this December. The group has trained the children,aged between 3 and 13 years,for their annual show,Fairy Tale Theatre. “We have used drama as a medium for the overall development of children,” says Sarang Patil,director,Razzmatazz. Patil has selected fairy tales as a theme because “they generate interest for everybody.”

Earlier,the group has presented themes like patriotism and freedom fighters. “This year,we have adapted the theme to suit a child’s level of understanding. “We have customised the scripts,the level of language and the set,” says Rachna Patil,drama therapist at Razzmatazz. With easy dialogues,colourful props and vibrant drapes,Fairy Tale Theatre promises to be fun for the little actors as well as the audience.

Razzmatazz has been working on the development of personalities with the help of theatre therapy. “Drama helps understand human psychology. One can easily understand if a person is afraid of public speaking or has stage fright,” adds Patil,who along with her colleagues focusses on public speaking as a part of the children’s programme in the academy. “A child is too young to be nervous on stage,” she says. She uses several modes of drama including puppetry,improvisational theatre,and miming to remove any fear of public speaking among children.

“Fairy Tale Theatre will show the result of our efforts of the past six months,” says Patil who has been training one child at a time. “We can never generalise in case of a young mind. It is easier to deal with them as unlike adults they have no ego hassles. However,they are difficult when they cry!” she adds. They never resort to raising voices or showing anger. “It impacts their minds negatively,” she says.