CHENNAI: Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” This quote from Dead Poet’s Society still rings true 33 years later. If anything, it has cemented its prominence, reminding us that in the competitive climate of today, it is important to take a step back and indulge in the arts.
Hoping to enable the same for the youth of the city after the grim pandemic, The Little Festival the international theatre festival hosted by The Little Theatre — is returning from July 1 to 8, post a two year hiatus, for its eleventh edition. “Every festival, I look at the children looking at our shows, feeling their soul is satisfied, there is a lightness in their heart and that they want more theatre because I think theatre is what helps people understand one another, build compassion and empathy. Life is not just about exams, finding a career and drudgery. They need to know about the joy of living and you get that through the art,” notes Aysha Rau, founder of The Little Theatre.
Onstage offers
The festival will feature three productions at Kalakshetra Auditorium, Thiruvanmiyur — two in-house (The Garage Gang and Hansel & Gretel in Taka Din) and one facilitated by InKo Centre (The Story of the Lake). The Garage Gang, is a celebration of a child’s imagination, informs Krishnakumar Balasubramanian or KK, the artistic director of The Little Theatre.
“It hits home because it reminds us of what we’ve forgotten as we grow up. It’s essential now considering the pandemic and that children and parents are going through hell trying to navigate entirely new situations. I believe that theatre is one medium where children can watch and feel like it’s a mirror of what they’ve been going through and find a way to express themselves. The show is laced heavily with physical comedy,” he says, adding that the show talks about how we need to nurture our childhood imagination as we grow up.
Where one show provides family entertainment, the next production introduces the youth to native artforms creatively. Starring Anu Bhaskararaman and Lakshmy Ramakrishnan, Hansel & Gretel in Taka Din is an attempt to evolve Bharatanatyam and communicate it with the current generation. “Anu is a Bharatanatyam dancer, passionate about making classical art forms accessible to the young people. For this, they (Anu and Lakshmy)are bringing the age-old, well known story of Hansel and Gretel with contemporary music to visually depict the story through dance in a fun way to help children understand the nuances of the art,” KK says.
Rehearsals have been in full swing as actors too rejoice their return to the stage. “They are so excited. I realised that art is so important. Finally to be able to rehearse and do everything in person in the studio is liberating and making them feel on top of the world. I think that’s what art does to people,” notes Aysha.
Leaning on old traditions like Taka Din is The Story of the Lake, the third production that focusses on a popular folktale, retold for the modern audience using shadow puppetry by Company Young from South Korea. “It is a typical folk tale that focusses on good and bad and the importance of compassion and community. The director believes the latter is important, especially following the pandemic and two years of gloom. This could be a story of hope and resilience and talks about the larger role of art and transformation that comes through art,” explains Rathi Jafer, director of InKo Centre.
Offstage offers
The festival is also offering workshops and will be hosting two panel discussions on July 5 at Goethe-Institut Max Mueller Bhavan. Featuring professionals from the entertainment and medical industry and moderated by Dr Rohini Rau, trustee of The Little Theatre, and KK, the discussions will touch upon the importance of art in healthcare and education after Covid. “Children have been stuck at home for more than two years. Kids can grow only through conversations, meeting people and going to new environments and this (their confinement) can lead to anxiety, depression and various mental illnesses. It’s the arts that can address this issue comfortably and that is why I feel that this is such an important conversation,” elaborates Aysha. The impact of the arts will be seen soon enough as schoolgoing children fill the seats to The Little Theatre.
To book tickets or see the schedule, visit thelittletheatreindia.com or visit Cheria Aana, #2 Village Road, Nungambakkam. For more details, call 28211115 or 8778449642.