Un-masking emotions

Locher is the project director for The Asha Centre in England and says that the performing arts have had a therapeutic effect on various communities and ethnic groups. He feels it helps bridge the divide between people. “We had done a couple of plays with Israeli Arabs and Jews. All youngsters. The main aim of doing this along with them was to ensure that they would open up a channel for a consistent dialogue for peace. Back home when these youngsters were performing Arabian Nights and the Grimm Tales ,the parents of these children,who,on a normal day would not look eye-to-eye,were applauding the performances together. That is what we want to see.” The proceeds from the current workshops that Locher is conducting will go to the Lila Poonawalla Foundation. “We have had girls from the Foundation come to the Asha Centre for the last three years to partake in leadership workshops that we do and that is how I came into the picture for this current workshop here in India.”

Also a part of the ‘Peace Through Performing Arts’ organisation,Locher has worked extensively with teenagers in South Africa. “See here is the difference. When we were working with the Israelis,it was a case of two sets of people torn apart by religious issues. In South Africa,it is race. Its true that things have changed a lot there,but in the little townships there are still places where these differences will take time to disappear. Through the plays,we spoke about two important issues – racism and the loss of the South African identity under the garb of modernisation.”

Locher believes that youth theatre needs to be included in the school curriculum here. “It is the only way that education can go beyond the intellectual level to a level where people can explore themselves. I’d love to do theatre workshops in India. The cultural diversity is fascinating here,” he says.