It’s time to catch the acting bug

Parents think that summer vacations are a good time for children to experiment with ideas and skills

Drama workshops do not just teach children to act, get creative and understand the use of theatre props. The programmes, according to the organisers, also help kids gain confidence and learn how to work as a team.

Participants during a dance workshop at NCPA last year. (File photo)

The two-day acting workshops conducted by The Little Actors Club, for instance, are designed to teach kids about team work and independent thinking. Children participating in these workshops organised by theatre artiste Raell Padamsee’s Academy for Creative Expression (ACE) also get a certificate of participation at the end of the programme.

“Our workshops particularly aim at enhancing the lateral thinking and creativity. These kids will have fun while learning theatre and that is very important,” said Padamsee. “Theatre is all about spontaneous acting and they shall learn this in our centre.”

Parents think that summer vacations are a good time for children to experiment with ideas and skills. “A lot of these vacation crash courses help kids to experiment and learn things without wasting time at home”, said Sujatha Satyanarayanan, a parent from Thane.

Kavita, whose Moov N Groove conducts ‘Summer Splash’, said, “We all need to understand that parents want to push the limit for their children. Today, they want a twist in the most conventional activity,” said Kavita, who uses only one name.

Ameya Mondkar, a theatre professional, said that programmes have to be specifically tailored to the needs of the kids. “It is very important to pay attention on where they are learning from. Since it is for kids, it is highly imperative to work specifically towards their language skills. One must know that for kids, theatre should be more about diction, language and vocabulary. The output of the workshop purely depends on whom you are learning from.”

WHAT’S IN STORE

Film-making workshop

Children’s Film Academy (CFA) is organising a workshop on film-making for children.

What: Film-making workshop by CFA

For whom: Children aged between 9 and 15

Where: Gandhi Shikshan Bhavan, Juhu

When: May 9-16 or 17-22 May

Contact: 9619463545/ 9619463507

Acting workshop

A two-day workshop by Raell Padamsee’s Academy for Creative Expression, designed to lay emphasis on two key features in a child’s development, confidence building and personality development.

What: Theatre workshop by The Little Actors Club

For whom: Children aged between 4 and 13

When: May 7-8, May 14-15

Contact: Ovilia- 022 22842845/6/7/8

Dance and drama

Dance Splash, a workshop, a part of ‘summer splash’ at Moov N Groove. Apart from dance workshop, there are other workshops like robotics and science workshops. The group is also hosting the ‘Drama Bazaar’ which will feature acting, dance-theatre and reading about theatre too.

What: Workshop on 10 dance styles

For whom: Children aged between 5 and 9 years

Where: Meridian CHS, Palm Beach Road, Sector-6, Nerul

When: May 23-28 – Dance splash

May 16-28 -Drama Bazaar for kids between 4-12 years

Contact: Kavita- 9167073947

Drama, dance and singing

What: Drama Madness by Shawn Williams

For whom: Aged between 9 and 12 years or 13 and 15 years

Where: Sea View Room, NCPA

When: May 2-6 or May 16-21

Contact: 022-66223737

Dance workshop

Mayurbhanj Chhau is a martial dance form from north-eastern Orissa. The workshop aims at introducing its participants to basic style of this dance.

What: Mayurbhujanj Chhau dance by Santosh Nair

For whom: Children aged between 6 and 12 years

Where: Sea View Room, NCPA

When: May 9-13

Contact: 022-66223737

Reading sessions

Enhance your children’s reading habits by enrolling for Kahani Karnival at Nehru Planetarium.

What: Kahani Karnival.

For whom: Specific age group for specific reading sessions.

Where: Nehru Planetarium

When: 16th May

Contact: mycity4kids.com