‘It’s ultimate immersive art form, the experience reinforced fact that power and magic of theatre is second to none’

I am a proud teacher, who has experienced and raved about the power of theatre in education at the drop of a hat. But as they say, there is more than meets the eye. I have always tried my best to use drama, even in a physics classroom and direct some meaningful classic and socially relevant plays and was content with my contribution. Fortunately, an interaction with a celebrated psychologist challenged my so called achievements as it posed a pertinent question.

“There are some kids out there,

Not as privileged as the others ,

Shouldn’t we step forward and help them,

And if not now, then when?

This plain question had the power to address the elephant in the room.

Did I ever think of incorporating theatre in education for the students who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, autism, ODD and other multiple intellectual disabilities? Well, no prizes for guessing that.

I have no shame in admitting that I was discriminating in rendering the most fulfilling experience of theatre and drama only to the so-called stars of the class. In the garb of 100% participation, the children with special needs (CWSN) were involved in scores of other activities but not serious theatre, where they faced the audience for a considerable duration and delivered dialogues and emotions .

As a theatre expert, I knew the power of acting, singing, dancing, emoting, voice modulation, stage presence and the massive impact it can have on the actors and the audience.

Now the goal in my mind was to make education real and productive for the CWSN, that too in the pandemic era. The solution was simple yet complicated, it just read “Let’s Do the Drama”.

And what followed was cynicism, stumbling blocks, problems and closed minds. First things first, a script was written and the main character was conceived. The protagonist is an eight-year-old girl Ray who loves to draw and paint but is academically challenged. Books, answer sheet, colours , canvas, brush, grades, God of Talent are other prominent characters.

The storyline can be guessed and the play has to end with poetic justice, where talents and unique abilities are celebrated and Ray is not confined and defined by her academic grades.

This was not just a play, but a journey full of new challenges, enjoyment, and many new learnings. The entire process took us around two months -- from preparing the children to finally presenting on the stage for the very first time.

The response was overwhelming , maddening applause and tears of overjoyed parents was a testimony of what we achieved as a team! The nervousness had vanished and hours of rehearsals transformed those bunch of kids into someone they aspired to become. This experience just reiterated the fact that the power and magic of theatre is second to none.

The sole purpose of education which is to make minds and accord a constructive motive to the generation of learners but the world has suddenly fallen in love with virtual reality devoiding the learners, the pleasure of real play and experiences.

Theatre is the ultimate immersive art form which targets multiple senses making the flow of knowledge easier and helps in the holistic development of the students. This experiment which I did with the team of special educators, guidance counsellors, CWSN and their parents was challenging but it increased the attention span of the students over a period of time.

The students have become more confident and smart in handling day-to-day problems and the best gift is that they are expressing emotions! This experience has provided them a ‘cognitive playground’ in which they have experimented with different choices. It has allowed them to explore challenging social scenarios and vulnerable emotions in a safe and supportive environment.

The stage performance has helped them develop empathy for the experiences of others and explore diverse perspectives. During rehearsals they witnessed a range of possible strategies being played out and used critical thinking to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and started applying them to their own lives.

Theatre in education has been used across the world to help the students develop more positive tools for anger management and conflict resolution. The list is exhaustive and if this power of theatre is constructively designed for the CWSN, the world will be a better place. I summarize my thoughts in words of Clive Swift :

Acting is a sport. On stage, you must be ready to move like a tennis player on his toes. Your concentration must be keen, your reflexes sharp; your body and mind are in top gear, the chase is on. Acting is energy.

Ritika Anand, vice-principal, St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh. Views expressed are personal.