For seven days in August, there was no semblance of a stage at the Experimental Theatre and the seats, stacked away along the walls, made way for ample room for Mumbai-based theatre directors to walk about, amble along, squat down, sprawl on the floor, sit still, make notes, exchange them and dissect scripts as they gathered together to grapple with the themes of their respective plays. There were sharp observations and gentle humour, and shoes jettisoned in a corner that spoke of a quick segue from movement exercises to a spirited conversation. In this room, conflicts became exciting, and solutions emerged in manifold ways as a series of workshops, led by two UK-based theatre practitioners, kicked off the third edition of the annual youth theatre programme, Connections India.
This is an outcome of the NCPA’s long-standing association with the National Theatre in London under which the centre is part of an extensive network of 300 theatre companies that shine a spotlight on over 6,000 students every year by identifying and honing their talent in stagecraft to shape them into theatre-makers of tomorrow. The initiative involves a year-round process which starts with the National Theatre commissioning scripts to professional playwrights in the UK on themes relevant to young people whose input is also sought during the writing process. Next, professional directors from Mumbai direct these plays while working closely with visiting theatre practitioners from the UK through workshops and a feedback mechanism. Each of these directors works with students and teachers of one school to realise a full-fledged production where students not only act but also work backstage. This sustained engagement with young minds through the medium of theatre culminates in a festival of plays staged at the NCPA every January by students from various schools.
Helmed by Shernaz Patel, Creative Learning Director, and Ragini Singh Khushwaha, Creative Learning Producer, along with Bruce Guthrie, Head of Theatre & Films, Connections India is coming back with a grander vision this year, its third. A total of 16 participant schools will join the programme, a significant leap from the eight in the first edition in 2022. With a commitment to make theatre inclusive and accessible, a part of the ethos of Connections, schools affiliated with NGOs including Teach for India, Aseema Charitable Trust, Akanksha Foundation, Angel Xpress Foundation and Jai Vakeel Foundation will be a part of the programme, along with students from Wilson College (Junior College). Other schools participating this year include Aditya Birla World Academy, B. D. Somani International School, Bombay International School, DSB International School, JBCN International School as well as the Institute of Classical and Modern Dance (ICMD). An exciting addition this year will be two new scripts written by Indian theatre artistes Sheena Khalid and Arghya Lahiri. Just like the plays commissioned by the National Theatre, these scripts deal with characters and ideas that concern young people. The programme will also include tours and field trips at the NCPA as well as workshops in stage management, costumes, lights, sound and set design. The themes of climate change, Alzheimer’s disease, death and loneliness found a place in the workshops in August as the directors prepared to move into rehearsals. It has been important to foster a space full of warmth and kindness, which will hopefully get passed on to the young performers who will be cast in these plays.
The two facilitators who conducted the workshops are from the National Theatre. For Laura Keefe, Associate Director at Wise Children in London, this marks her association with Connections India for the second time. She observed that the programme has grown immensely in a brief period. Speaking about the workshops, Keefe said, “It is important to give the directors a space to try out their ideas before entering rehearsals. We have been having fun.” Theatre is serious business. Each day began with a game—ideally one with a ball—right after everyone announced their names to the group. Each director was assisted by a schoolteacher. “There are 32 theatre-makers; so a lot of time is spent learning their names,” Keefe chuckled. Movement director Jess Williams, who has worked on productions, such as the National Theatre’s Nye and the NCPA’s 2018 run of Constellations, made sure that different forms of movement are embraced in the workshops. “Warmup warps its way to choreography. We tried to be as varied as possible to explore how movement might play a part in each show, manifesting itself into transitions, dance pieces or big fantasy sequences. It’s all very fluid and exciting,” said Williams. While the workshops are conducted for the directors, all the adults involved in the process cannot lose sight of the objective that the programme must work for children.
Williams noted, “The workshops have to be accessible. We are trying to give them as many tools as we can to adapt to a school setting.” “It is also about sharing professional practices,” Keefe added. From scripting to execution, all those involved are seasoned practitioners, so the idea is to provide a professional stage for the young performers. This is the first time that the festival will include a school that caters to students with special needs. For nearly 80 years, the Jai Vakeel Foundation has assisted thousands of individuals with intellectual disabilities, most of whom belong to the lower socioeconomic strata. Students are supported in all spheres of their lives, including performing day-today activities, learning to read and write and obtaining employment. Williams explained that the directors assigned to the Jai Vakeel Foundation have worked with students with special needs and are clued in to what the access requirements of their students might be. “They are adept in dealing with them and the things that we have been doing are from our professional practice that can be moulded and applied to different needs,” she said. The upcoming festival promises to be a celebration of new writing and theatre that stimulates the mind and touches a chord. Both practitioners went back with a similar memory from the last day of the workshop. “I do not remember having so many teachers and directors in the same room being so enthusiastic,” Keefe told us. “It was very heartening to see this.”
The third edition of Connections India will be presented in January 2025 at the NCPA.
This article by Aiswarya Bodke appeared in the October issue of NCPA’s On-Stage magazine.
