Theatre-workshop to remove language barriers

The workshops for schoolchildren will be held at the Mahatma Sabhagriha,Kothurd,in the mornings between 10 am and 12 pm,and for college students at Kala Chaya cultural centre,S B Road,in the evening from 6 pm.

The workshop tries to encourage students learning German language to speak more confidently and adopt theatre as a form of expression. “Beginners of German usually learn only through textbooks,they do not get to speak much. This workshop will help them get to know the stage better and acclimatise to it,” said Purandare.

The first week will involve ice-breakers like theater games and pronunciation exercises. By the second week,Purandare will encourage them to adapt German fairy tales into scripts. “Towards the end of it,the students from both batches will present skits. The venue for the presentation hasn’t been fixed yet,and could be of the workshop venues,” said Purandare,who has been a teacher with Max Mueller Bhavan since 2005.

The workshop series will be the first theatre event for Fallera,an institute started by Purandare to creatively engage learners of German in the city. The first activity was a writing workshop conducted in August. “Opportunities to experience German culture are many in the city,but opportunities to indulge and participate in this culture are fewer,” said Purandare.

He terms Kuddelmuddel as a “teaser” for students in speaking German and being in a play and hopes to make it a regular activity in the future.