Gillo and Behold!

Whoever said plays were meant for adults, have clearly not watched the plays by the Gillo Theatre Repertory. The Mumbai-based children’s theatre group who has staged some of the best shows that appeal to all age groups, is all set to stage three plays in the city this weekend.

Putting up a production for children does require training in that specific area, which team Gillo has, and continues to work on.

“The team works with schools on a regular basis so we do have a basic understanding and knowledge of what appeals to kids,” explains Shaili Sathyu, the founder of the production.

“Most people who put up theatre performances for children, only do one play a year and focus largely on the adult audience because they have a tough time making things simple enough for kids to understand. But that’s where our approach differs. We don’t believe in dumbing down the content for children. Theatre is largely emotion and actions, which is what we work with,” says Shaili, who has done over 15 plays so far!

“And to know if what we’re doing resonated with kids, we bring them in to give us their feedback about a week before the play hits the stage. That not only sets the tone of our performances but their inputs also help in improving our performances,” adds the director of Gulabo and Parizaad.

The three plays – Wagabond, Gulabo aur Parizaad and A Silly Story of Bondapalli are all very different from each other, according to Sahil Gangurde, an actor who is a part of all three!

“Bondapalli, is one of the most fun plays, for both the actors as well as the audience. It includes a lot of clowning and is a laughter riot!” says the actor, about the play which revolves around a king who loves to eat!

“Gulabo aur Parizaad on the other hand, is more on the classical side. We have tried to retain the essence of the play by performing it in Urdu,” says Sahil, about the tale of friendship between a mouse and elf who goes on a strange and funny magical journey together.

“Wagabond is the most minimalistic of all the plays, with hardly any props. But it was the most challenging out of the three for me,” reveals the 26-year-old solemnly, about the play which has resonated well among audiences.

“It was quite a struggle to dig into the mind of the writer and understand and recreate the exact emotions he went through with his dog,” reveals Sahil, about the bitter-sweet play which illustrates the world, through the eyes of a dog.

Gulabo aur Parizaad will be performed at Ranga Shankara on August 14 at 3.30 and 7.30 pm and A Silly Story of Bondapalli on August 13, at 3.30 and 7.30 pm.