The truly theatrical AHA MOMENTS

Not everyone finds the sound of kids roaring with laughter or loudly proclaiming their opinion particularly darling — especially in a theatrical setting. But once in a while there comes along something magical, a place where they can be themselves. The AHA! International Theatre for Children Fest’16 promises to bring everything from local folk art and puppetry to multi-disciplinary performances to one stage, until July 24 at Ranga Shankara.

This ‘movement’ous week will see productions of national and international repute meant for a tot from 18-months old to a teen at 18! There are also featured plays from Germany, South Korea, Australia, Israel, Poland, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland to add to homegrown productions. So, why theatre for kids? “Why not?” asks S Surendranath, the artistic director of Ranga Shankara. “It’s important to talk to children and get them to see life with their own eyes. These plays address their problems, questions and concerns and we as responsible theatre people thought it necessary,” he says. Year after year, hundreds of kids flock this venue for a dose of theatre, and this, Surendranath says, is what keeps them going. “We started out with storytelling and puppet shows – more narrative theatre for instance. But now, it’s moved on to being more experiential and incidental, something that gets the kids excited,” he adds, about the fest that has seen over 1,50,000 kids to date.

This edition will open with a Kannada play, 86000 Sekendugalu that tells the story between three friends and creations of nature. All the way from Germany, Julia Dina Hesse’s Oopicassoo paints a poignant picture inspired by Pablo Picasso. A 60-minute South Korean performance called Paper Window employs a bare white wall as an infinite canvas, bound only by the imaginations of the children present. An iPad turns into a cheeky prankster in Aaipet, making you question — If you’re constantly kept busy by a computer, how self-sufficient can you grow up? For those tots who love films, there’s also A Way Home, a feature film that notes the importance of family, empathy and humility. Kalpataru, When All Was Green and Buy 1 Get 1 Free emphasises on the importance of trees and the environment amidst all things grey and concrete, designed to get kids to think and be more considerate towards the world around them.

An interesting feature you can look forward to in AHA’s eighth year is toddler theatre – shows for kids from 18-36 months. Incidentally, after attending a workshop at the theatre, Samta Shikhar turned to facilitating these plays. “They don’t just work at explaining a story, but is a sensorial experience to entertain the kids and the accompanying adults,” says the head of theatre at Head Start Montessari House of Children, as she gears up for her new play, Dinner is at 8. This play uses steel utensils that kids seem to like playing with and transforms it, metaphorically to think through the concept of the ordinary and everyday.