KOCHI: It was raining cats and dogs on Saturday, a fact hardly perceivable from the foyer of the Kerala History Museum, one of the cultural oases in the city. Inside, the nearly 50-odd children, all seated on the floor in a misshapen circle, had the warmth from a bonfire of stories unfurling in the middle.
These children were attending the storytelling workshop led by Hannah Wood, an exponent of theatre and arts from the UK. What distinguishes the performances is that everything — the characters, the scenes, the dialogues, and the ending — unfolded organically.
A testament to the fact that children are innate storytellers. The workshop did not begin this way, though. “Initially, the children were reluctant to share, perhaps afraid to encroach on the ideas of others. As the evening progressed, each was able to shed their fears and, in an exchange of ideas, weave brave narratives.
If one starts a story, the other finishes,” says Vypeen Chandradasan, the founder of Lokadharmi theatre group, which organised Saturday’s event. There were many stories — of mountain lions, genies, ghosts, those involving time travel, and dark plots. Some even laced commentaries on modern societal elements into their narrative, allowing the audience a window to pause and introspect.
All this transpired under Hannah’s unabating instruction: “Keep the story flowing.” And, indeed, it did, for the better part of two hours. Interspersed during this time were also exercises to get the youngsters moving, to break the ice. To the beholder, the scenes that unfolded were reminiscent of a time before mobile phones and social media, when children were fuelled by the fires of their imagination. A grand play at work.
Interestingly, those parents who had accompanied their wards were the ones who couldn’t take their eyes off the screens. This juxtaposition, too, revealed so many things about our society. “I’m really impressed by how much these children gave today,” Hannah tells TNIE. “They connected straight away and grew in confidence. If, at first, they were hesitant to join in, by the end, they were all expressing themselves fully. It was a great joy to watch, and I absolutely loved the stories they came up with.”
At Equal Arts in London, where she works, Hannah plays an instrumental role in bridging communities together by way of stories. This is her first workshop outside the UK. “I hope to be back,” says Hannah, who has over a decade of experience in this field. This workshop was not a rare event. In fact, Lokadharmi has workshops every Saturday under its Mazhavillu banner. These are usually held under the cultural canopy of the Kerala History Museum, which is easily accessible by Metro.
Why attend these classes?
“Besides learning how to act, the classes also offer an avenue for children to interact with others from diverse backgrounds,” says Chandradasan. According to him, this intermingling helps foster social and communication skills. “By way of stories, they become more confident in expressing ideas and have a better understanding of our cultural and social history. In short, our classes teach them about life and living,” he adds.