Note on the Playshop: Thespo is a youth theatre movement that organises workshops, performances and theatre festivals across
Like last year, as an addition to our regular activities, we had initiated the Dramabaazi programme that aims to combine the talent of young theatre-wallahs with the imagination of children to explore various aspects of theatre, discuss, debate and rehearse the text (playscript) and finally experience the thrill of performing to an audience in a professional theatre set up.
Structure of the playshop: The Dramabaazi playshop is unique programme designed for participants in the age group of 8 - 14 years of age. The playshop will run from 1st May to 30th May. This will be followed by shows at Prithvi Theatre in June 2011. The sessions will be held 4-6 days per week. Each session will be between 2-4 hours. The sessions will get more intensive closer to the days of performance.
Design of the playshop: Initial sessions will cover ice-breaker and warm up exercises followed by some interactive theatre games aimed at bringing the participants to work as a team. These exercises will mainly be led by Sananda Mukhopadhyaya and 3-4 Dramabaazi co-ordinators. Slowly the text (Short stories by Shel Silverstein) will be introduced in the sessions as topics for improvisations, storytelling, song writing and general discussions. The latter half of the sessions will focus on rehearsing the play for the public performances and the playshop will culminate with shows in June 2011 at Prithvi Theatre. The performance will not only feature the children participants, but also some of the playshop co-ordinators (between 18-25 years) in the adult roles.
As the playshop is only for a short intense period and culminates in a full length theatrical production, it is crucial that participants attend all the sessions.
About the Writer: A truly unique and multi-faceted artist, Shel Silverstein was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Best known for his immensely popular children’s books including The Giving Tree, Falling Up, and A Light in the Attic, Silverstein has delighted tens of millions of readers around the world, becoming one of the most popular and best-loved children's authors of all time.