Abstract
The pandemic of 2020 put the whole world on a technology-driven online stage like never before. The new stage called for innovation and new forms of creativity. The Theatre-in-Education team at ATA was also caught unprepared, especially the all-pervasive nature of the consequences. The team was confronted by questions of relevance and the role of educators at a time like this. This chapter describes the processes involved in crafting and successfully conducting two types of online workshops using theatre methods as the principal platform. Theatre is a group activity which involves touching, feeling, comprehending, and connecting through close contact with other participants. One must recognize that this essential component of theatre cannot be accomplished through online sessions. Despite this, the workshops had an immense impact on the children's personal development and added the element of fun to their online experience which might otherwise have remained dry and boring.
TopBackground
The Pre-British Period
Quite a bit has been written about education in India before the arrival of the British – by foreign travellers from around the world and then by the British themselves. Takshashila and Nalanda Universities still resonate. (Dharampal,1995, p.1) “It is important to emphasize that indigenous education was carried out through the pathshalas, madrassahs and gurukulas. (Dharampal,1995, p. 17) These institutions were in fact the watering holes of the culture of traditional communities.” (Dharampal,1995, p. 18) The education system was practical, wholesome and rooted in the culture of the land, catering to societal needs in general. The vocational component was a very integral part of educating the young, which meant that the education given was robust and well rounded. There were schools even in the villages. In fact “every village had a school” (Dharampal,1995, p. 18)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Bangalore Little Theatre Foundation (BLT): Created in 1960, Bangalore Little Theatre is one of the oldest English theatre groups in Bangalore City, India. Bangalore Little Theatre Foundation, the not for profit arm of BLT was created in 2005.
Takshashila and Nalanda: Renowned seats of learning in Ancient India.
Academy of Theatre Arts (ATA): ATA is the education enrichment and theatre development arm of Bangalore Little Theatre Foundation. One important long-term programme is the commitment to work with teachers and students using theatre methods as the principal platform.
Gurukula: Ancient system of education in India where the pupils either lived near or with their teacher, the Guru. They not just learnt with the teacher but also helped the teacher with the daily mundane chores.
Nava Rasa: Is a collective term for the nine emotions that were originally mentioned in the ancient Indian text Natyashastra. These are Shringara (Love or beauty), Hasya (Laughter), Karuna (Sorrow), Raudra (Anger), Veera (Courage), Bhayanaka (Fear), Bibhatsa (Disgust), Adbhuta (Surprise/wonder), Shanta (Peace).
Theatre Education: TE refers to the efforts to make theatre / drama studies an integral part of educational curricula. Worldwide, theatre is recognized as the most effective avenue for life skills development, cultivating multiple intelligences, promoting creativity and innovation, and bridging right brain and left-brain development.
Role on the Wall: A drama tool used for exploring details about a character/person. It is usually an outline drawn on paper that represents the character, then different aspects of the character are written inside and outside the outline. It’s a good tool for discovering more about historical characters and fellow students as well.
Theatre-in-Education (TiE): TiE may be seen as the innovative application of theatre/drama techniques to enhance the learning process. Situations are created to enable the students to understand issues, explore relationships, derive and evaluate solutions, among other things. It is a coordinated and carefully structured programme usually devised and researched around chosen topics of relevance to the school curriculum. It generally combines the elements of theatre by active participation of the children in improvised drama activities in which ideas are explored at their own level and stimulation.
Pathshala: Pathshala is a word which has now become the Hindi word for school. However, in ancient India, it referred to a centre for learning in a village where subjects like grammar, logic and philosophy were taught.
Hot Seat: A well-known theatre exercise in which one participant gets into character and takes the ‘hot seat’ (sits in front of others on a chair). The person on the hot seat is asked questions by others in order to find out more about the character, in the process helping everyone to go deeper and even discover new things they had not thought about earlier.
Experiential Methodology: Refers to the learning that takes place by first experiencing something and then reflecting upon it and self-discovering. It recognizes the teacher to be more of a ‘facilitator’ who aids learning by creating a conducive atmosphere and opportunities. Experiential methodology works best when people are allowed to make the connections across thinking-feeling-acting by themselves, and not lectured about them.
Object Theatre: Involves the use of objects in creating a story or narrative. The objects can be used as themselves or be imagined to be some other objects. This can also be used in the classroom as an exercise to look at things from different perspectives.
Madrassah: A school for the Muslim children where children were not just given elementary education but were also taught about their religion, Islam.